WORK AND PENSIONS

Departmental Publications

John Randall: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what public information booklets were published by his Department in 2007; and what the  (a) print run and  (b) cost to the Department was in each case.

Anne McGuire: The Department for Work and Pensions began a complete review of all its public facing leaflets during 2006. This initiative has reduced the number of leaflets published by the Department from 178 in June 2006 to just 66 today.
	The Department has also procured, from July 2007, a single supplier for its print and associated services which, among other things, will enable us to capture the costs of producing material for the public in the future.
	The review of all the Department's leaflets, coupled with the change of supplier, means that obtaining the costs of all of the material published in 2007 could be done only at disproportionate cost.

Disability Living Allowance: Partially Sighted

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 28 January 2008,  Official Report, column 61W, on disability living allowance: partially sighted, if he will include severe sight loss as a criterion for qualifying for the higher-rate mobility component of the Disability Living Allowance.

Anne McGuire: I refer the hon. Member to the written answer I gave the hon. Member for Portsmouth, South (Mr. Hancock), on 8 January 2008,  Official Report, column 434W.

Housing Benefit: National Insurance

Terry Rooney: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions by what mechanisms the requirement for a national insurance number to make an application for housing benefit and council tax benefit was introduced.

James Plaskitt: The requirement to provide a national insurance number in order to claim all social security benefits, including housing benefit and council tax benefit, was introduced from 7 November 1997 by section 19 of the Social Security Administration (Fraud) Act 1997.

Lone Parents: Employment

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps he is taking to help single parents who are in employment to gain the skills to make progress in the workplace.

David Lammy: I have been asked to reply.
	We have a range of measures to ensure that everyone in the work force, including lone parents, has the opportunity to realise their potential and progress in their careers.
	Train to Gain is the Government's premier service to employers, helping them to improve business performance by investing in the skills of all of their employees. Employers can access full public funding for employees who undertake skills for life or a first full Level 2 qualification as well as subsidies to aid individuals progress on to higher level skills.
	Individuals on a low income undertaking full time learning for their first full Level 2 or first full Level 3 qualification are eligible for the Adult Learning Grant. This pays adults (aged 19 plus) up to £30 per week, during term time to help with additional costs of learning (for example; books and travel). Adults can also access free information and advice about learning, work and careers through the national learndirect telephone and online advice service and local nextstep face-to-face service.
	By 2010-11 we aim to create an adult advancement and careers service which will help people to progress their careers. We will also work with partners to develop a joined-up advice service covering issues such as housing, employment rights, child care, financial and personal advice and support as well as jobs and skills.

Mobility Allowance: Sight Impaired

Terry Rooney: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions under what regulation the automatic entitlement of registered blind claimants to the higher rate of mobility allowance was removed.

Anne McGuire: People who are registered blind have never had automatic entitlement to the higher rate mobility component of disability living allowance or its predecessor mobility allowance.

Pension Service: Disability and Carer's Service

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what his estimate is of the likely effect on his Department's expenditure for the Department in each year until 2025 of merging the Pension Service and the Disability and Carer's Service.

Mike O'Brien: The Department's three Year Business Plans for 2008-11 will be published on 28 February 2008, and will be placed in the Library. These will include information about the Department's spending on administration over that period. The business plan for the new Pension, Disability and Carers Service Agency will be published ready for its launch on 1 April 2008, and will contain information about resources.
	The merging of the Pension Service and the Disability and Carers Service will create an opportunity to streamline elements of existing functions, particularly in senior management and internal support services, allowing more resource to be redirected to front-line customer service than would have been possible without the merger. Detailed plans have yet to be drawn up about the size and phasing of this redirection.
	The merger itself is not expected to have an impact on expenditure on state benefits (Annually Managed Expenditure (AME)). Levels of benefit expenditure are driven principally by demography and benefit policy. It is not expected that the new Agency will execute policy in a way that will change expenditure levels from what they would have been under two separate agencies.

Pension Service: Manpower

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number of staff in the Pension Service and the Disability and Carer's Service in each year until 2018.

Mike O'Brien: No estimates of work force plans to 2018 have been drawn up. The Department's three Year Business Plans for 2008-11 will be published on 28 February 2008, and will be placed in the Library. The business plan for the new Pension, Disability and Carers Service Agency will be published ready for its launch on 1 April 2008, and will contain information about resources.

Social Security Benefits: Tranquillisers

Jim Dobbin: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many tranquiliser addicts are in receipt of disability benefits.

Anne McGuire: The information is not available.

Winter Fuel Payments

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people received winter fuel payments in West Lancashire constituency in the most recent period for which figures are available.

Mike O'Brien: In winter 2006-07, 20,270 people in the West Lancashire constituency received a winter fuel payment. We expect the number to be similar for this winter.
	 Notes:
	1. Figures rounded to the nearest 10.
	2. Parliamentary constituencies are assigned by matching postcodes against the relevant ONS postcode directory.
	 Source:
	Information directorate 100 per cent. data.
	 The following questions and answers were received for publication on 14 January 2008.

Aviation

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  how many miles he and other Ministers in his Department travelled on short haul flights in the last 12 months; and what estimate he has made of the total amount of carbon emissions produced as a result of these flights;
	(2)  how many air miles were travelled by Ministers in his Department in each year since 2000; and what estimate he has made of the total amount of carbon dioxide emissions produced as a result.

Anne McGuire: Since 1999 the Government have published a list of all overseas travel by Cabinet Ministers costing over £500. Information for the last financial year was published on 25 July 2007. Details for the current financial year will be published as soon as possible after the end of the financial year. From next year, the list will include details of overseas visits undertaken by all Ministers. All ministerial travel is undertaken in accordance with the Ministerial code.
	All central Government ministerial and official air travel has been offset from 1 April 2006. Departmental aviation emissions are calculated on an annual basis and subsequently offset through payments to a central fund. The fund purchases certified emissions reductions credits from energy efficiency and renewable energy projects with sustainable development benefits, located in developing countries.
	In addition, offsetting the flights of Departmental for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, the Department for International Development, and the Prime Minister has been backdated to 1 April 2005.
	A list of Government Carbon Offsetting Fund members, their emission figures and what activities they have offset through the fund is available at:
	http://www.defra.gov.uk/environment/climatechange/uk/carbonoffset/government.htm

Carers' Allowances

Doug Henderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether it is his policy to maintain the value of the carer's allowance in real terms.

Anne McGuire: Carer's allowance is increased every April in line with movement in the retail prices index and there are currently no plans to change these arrangements. However, the future of carer's allowance is now being examined as part of the review of the Prime Minister's 1999 national carers' strategy. The review is due to be published in spring 2008.

Child Support Agency

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  how many child support cases have been passed to the clerical team in Bolton Child Support Agency Office to progress from  (a) the Vale of York and  (b) England; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what the average length of time was taken by the clerical team in Bolton Child Support Agency Office  (a) to progress to each stage and  (b) to resolve a child support case passed to them from another area was in the last period for which figures are available;
	(3)  how many people work at the  (a) Falkirk and  (b) Bolton office of the Child Support Agency.

James Plaskitt: The administration of the Child Support Agency is the matter for the Chief Executive.
	He will write to the hon. Member with the information requested.
	 Letter from Stephen Geraghty , dated  11 January 2008 :
	In reply to your recent parliamentary question about the Child Support Agency, the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Chief Executive.
	and
	and
	How many people work at the  (a) Falkirk and  (b) Bolton office of the Child Support Agency.
	The Agency contracted out the management of its clerical cases to Vertex Data Science Ltd in September 2006. They process this work on our behalf at the Bolton site. The Agency's six regional centres refer clerical cases to the Bolton site. Each of these centres are responsible for clients within regions that are not determined by parliamentary constituency or national boundaries. The information you request on the number of cases referred to the Bolton site is therefore not available. However, what I can tell you is that there are around 23,400 live cases in Bolton.
	Child maintenance applications are processed clerically where, due to technical issues, they cannot be advanced on our computer system. The point at which this occurs, and the activity required to work the case through to a successful outcome for clients, varies significantly. Cases processed on the computer system are automatically monitored and information recorded. The extra resources required to replicate this for clerical cases, has instead been focused on improving maintenance outcomes for children. The information you requested on the time taken to progress to each stage is therefore unavailable.
	There are currently around 1,035 Agency people in the Falkirk Centre, of whom 106 are currently working on clerical cases. Vertex Data Science Ltd is responsible for employing the necessary staff to deliver the clerical case service from the Bolton site.
	I hope you find this answer helpful.

Child Support Agency Office

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when he last visited a Child Support Agency office.

James Plaskitt: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions has not visited any Child Support Agency offices since his appointment in June 2007, but has planned visits in the new year. However, both myself and my noble Friend Lord McKenzie of Luton made several visits to Child Support Agency offices in 2007.

Child Support Agency: ICT

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many times the specification for the CS2 IT project entered into with EDS in September 2000 was changed in each year since 2000.

James Plaskitt: The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for the Chief Executive. He will write to the hon. Member with the information requested.
	 Letter from Stephen Geraghty, dated 11 January 2008:
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Support Agency, the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Chief Executive.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many times the specification for the CS2 IT Project entered into with EDS in September 2000 was changed in each year since 2000.
	The Child Support Agency has requested a total of 130 detailed changes since 2000. The annual breakdown is set out in the table below:
	
		
			   Number 
			 2000 0 
			 2001 6 
			 2002 69 
			 2003 35 
			 2004 8 
			 2005 12 
			 2006 0 
			 2007 0 
		
	
	I hope you find this answer helpful.

Community Care Grants

Terry Rooney: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  what percentage of internal reviews of community care grant decisions were successful  (a) at each benefit delivery centre and  (b) nationally in the latest period for which figures are available;
	(2)  what the average time taken to determine an internal review request on a community care grant decision was  (a) at each benefit delivery centre and  (b) nationally in the latest period for which figures are available;
	(3)  how many outstanding internal review requests there were on community care grant decisions at each benefit delivery centre in each month between March and August 2007.

James Plaskitt: holding answer 18 December 2007
	The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus, Lesley Strathie. I have asked her to provide my hon. Friend with the information requested.
	 Letter from Lesley Strathie, dated 14 January 2008:
	The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your questions asking what percentage of internal reviews of Community Care Grant decisions were successful at each Benefit Delivery Centre and nationally in the latest period for which figures are available; what the average time taken to determine an internal review request on a Community Care Grant decision was at each Benefit Delivery Centre and nationally in the latest period for which figures are available and how many outstanding internal review requests there were on Community Care Grant decisions at each Benefit Delivery Centre in each month between March and August 2007. This is something which falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.
	Over the course of 2007 there has been a very large increase in Crisis Loan applications. Extra resources have been provided and we have now nearly doubled our staffing to meet this rising demand. We have had to temporarily divert staff from review activity until these extra resources were in place. Crisis Loan delivery is a priority and unfortunately this has led to backlogs of reviews occurring in some locations. We are working hard to eradicate these backlogs where they have occurred and have instigated activity to prioritise urgent cases.
	An 'internal review' has been interpreted as a review at Jobcentre Plus requested by an applicant, i.e. a first review.
	The percentage of first reviews of Community Care Grant decisions which were successful at each Benefit Delivery Centre and nationally for October 2007 is given in table 1. A first review is defined as successful if the award is increased on review (where the initial decision was either a partial award or a refusal).
	The average time taken to determine a first review request on a Community Care Grant decision at each Benefit Delivery Centre and nationally for October 2007 is given in table 2.
	The time to determine an individual first review request is measured in whole working days from the date of receipt of the request to the date of the decision, inclusive. The minimum time recorded to determine an individual first review request is one day, even if the request is determined immediately.
	The number of outstanding first review requests on Community Care Grant decisions at each Benefit Delivery Centre at the end of each month from March to August 2007 is given in table 3.
	Copies of the tables have been placed in the House of Commons Library.
	I hope that this is helpful.

Consolatory Payments

Julia Goldsworthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 27 November 2007,  Official Report, column 329W, on consolatory payments, what the total value of consolatory payments made by the Child Support Agency was in each year since 1992; and what the value was of the single largest such payment.

James Plaskitt: holding answer 18 December 2007
	The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for the chief executive. He will write to the hon. Member with the information requested.
	 Letter from Stephen Geraghty, dated 11 January 2008:
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Support Agency, the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Chief Executive.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the answer of 27 November 2007,  Official Report, column 329W on consolatory payments what the total value of consolatory payments made by the Child Support Agency was in each year since 1992; and what the value was of the single largest such payment.
	Such information as is available is included in the following table. Information prior to 1 December 2001 is not available.
	
		
			   Consolatory payments (£ million) 
			 2001-02 0.696 
			 2002-03 0.661 
			 2003-04 0.406 
			 2004-05 0.582 
			 2005-06 0.608 
			 2006-07 0.666 
		
	
	The largest single consolatory payment made by the Agency is £1,550.00.
	I hope you find this answer helpful.

Council Tax Benefits: Scotland

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much the Government transferred each year to the Scottish Executive for the payment of council tax benefit in Scotland in each of the last five years.

James Plaskitt: No payments are made by the UK Government to the Scottish Executive for the payment of council tax benefit (CTB) in Scotland.
	However, local authorities in Scotland claim subsidy directly from DWP for CTB they pay. The amounts of subsidy paid since 2002-03 are as follows:
	
		
			  Council tax benefit subsidy paid to Scottish local authorities 
			   £ million 
			 2002-03 294 
			 2003-04 307 
			 2004-05 345 
			 2005-06 354 
			 2006-07 359 
			  Note: All information is from audited subsidy claims with the exception of that for 2006/07 which is from unaudited claims.  Source: The annual housing benefit/council tax benefit subsidy claims made by local authorities.

Departmental Buildings

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what  (a) buildings and  (b) land of (i) his Department and (ii) the (A) non-departmental public bodies, (B) agencies and (C) independent statutory bodies for which his Department is responsible have been sold since 7 May 1997; what the sale price of each (1) was at the time of sale and (2) is at current prices; and whether the money received was (x) retained by his Department or (y) claimed by the Treasury in each case.

Anne McGuire: The entire DWP estate was sold (freehold, feuhold and long leasehold interests) or transferred (short leasehold interests) through its "PRIME" PFI contract to Land Securities Trillium (LST), in April 1998 for the original DSS estate (comprising 972 buildings) and further in December 2003 when PRIME was expanded to include the former Employment Service (ES) estate (comprising 1108 buildings). The proceeds of £250 million for the DSS Estate in April 1998 were released to HM Treasury. In 2003, the Department and LST agreed a vacant possession value of £140 million for the properties covered by the expanded PRIME contract. The Department decided to receive this amount split into an up-front payment of £100 million, which was released to HM Treasury, and a reduction in the annual unitary charge over the life of the contract, equivalent to the £40 million balance.
	Following the expanded PRIME contract in 2003, DWP retained two properties (Ranmoor Hall, Sheffield and Storey Street, Hull) which were subsequently sold in 2005 and 2006 respectively for a total of £5.075 million and the funds transferred to DWP.
	We are unable to provide current prices for the full 2080 buildings due to the commercially sensitive nature of the information for the PFI provider.
	The Health and Safety Executive (HSE), at the end of 2004-05, and, as part of a PFI contract, handed over all of the land and buildings at the Sheffield site to ICB Ltd. A prepayment for their fair value of £4.6 million, as determined by the contract, is recognised in the accounts and amortised evenly over the life of the PFI contract. No cash was received for this transaction.
	As part of the same deal, HSE received an additional cash payment of £600,000 in 2004-05 (£650,000 at current prices) which was retained by HSE as a profit on disposal and sold the Royal Exchange Building (Sheffield) for £530,000 in 2005-06 (£562,000 at current prices). There was no profit or loss on this sale and HSE retained the cash.

Departmental Manpower

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many and what proportion of his Department's staff are employed within each salary band; what the title and role of each position within each salary band is; and for each salary band what the  (a) bonus structure,  (b) retirement provision,  (c) expenses provision,  (d) total expenses incurred in each of the last 10 years,  (e) average age of employee,  (f) number of (i) women and (ii) men and  (g) ethnic composition is.

Anne McGuire: The information is as follows:
	 1. Number and proportion of Department for Work and Pension (DWP) staff e mployed within each salary band
	The following table shows the number of staff employed by DWP at September 2007.
	
		
			  Civil service grade  Total staff  Percentage of staff by grade 
			 SCS 293 0.28 
			 Grade 6 621 0.5 
			 Grade 7 1,470 1.41 
			 SEO 2,699 2.58 
			 HEO 7,552 7.21 
			 EO 37,469 35.79 
			 AO 49,072 46.87 
			 AA 5,511 5.27 
			 DWP Total 104,687 100 
			  Notes: 1. The numbers shown are whole time equivalent (WTE). 2. The data do not include the Rent Service or the Health and Safety Executive. 3. Temporary staff are not included 
		
	
	 2. The title and role of each p osition within each salary band
	The Department's HR data are compiled using definitions and standards provided by the Office for National Statistics from their Annual Civil Service Employment Survey September 2007.
	Each role within every salary band/grade in the Department can be categorised in accordance with the Professional Skills for Government (PSG) career groupings as follows:
	
		
			  PSG career grouping  Profession 
			 Corporate Service Delivery Communications/Marketing 
			  Finance 
			  Human Resources 
			  Information Technology 
			  Legal 
			  Other 
			  Procurement 
			   
			 Operational Delivery Operational Delivery 
			   
			 Policy delivery Policy Delivery 
		
	
	It would be disproportionately costly to collate information about the specific title and role of every position in DWP.
	 3. The bonus structure for each salary band
	 (a) Junior Bonus Structure
	DWP employees in pay bands below SCS are eligible for an annual individual performance bonus if they attain a 'top', 'higher' or 'majority' rating under the annual performance and development system (PDS). There is a guided distribution for performance ratings awarded through PDS which is top 15-20 per cent., higher 30-35 per cent., majority 40-45 per cent. and lower 3-8 per cent. The amount of bonus awarded is differentiated on the basis of the employee's pay band and the performance level achieved.
	 (b) SCS Bonus Structure
	The structure for bonuses for the SCS pay bands 1, 2 and 3 is set out in the recommendations from the Senior Salaries Review Body (SSRB) and the Government's response to those recommendations.
	Pay band 1 and 2 (excluding Executive team) individual bonuses are awarded by the DWP SCS Pay Committee on the recommendation of line managers, based on the level of success with which an SCS member has met their in-year objectives, and relative to all others in their pay band.
	Executive team bonuses are awarded by the DWP Remuneration Committee and currently comprise two elements; 80 per cent. of the overall bonus cost envelope for individual bonus (on the same basis as SCS PB1 and 2), and 20 per cent. dependent on the assessment of DWP performance overall.
	 4. The retirement provision for each salary band
	DWP has no mandatory retirement age for grades below SCS and subject to satisfactory performance and a requirement for their services, allows employees to choose how long they want to remain in work. For the SCS, the mandatory retirement age is 65.
	DWP offers all employees, regardless of grade, an occupational pension scheme when they join the Department. Employees have the choice of a career earnings scheme or a partnership scheme that provides pension benefits based on contributions made.
	 5. The expenses provision for each salary band
	Where extra costs are incurred by individuals in connection with their work for the Department expenses are paid against the following categories:
	Travel including public transport costs, private mileage for use of own car where appropriate.
	Subsistence to covering meals and potential extra costs for being away from normal place of work—including day and overnight rates and hotel costs.
	Miscellaneous expenses such as those incurred in connection with permanent transfers and selection interviews.
	 6. Total expenses incurred in each of the last 10 years for each salary band
	Total expenses incurred in each of the past two years is as follows:
	
		
			   £ million 
			 2005-06 85.1 
			 2006-07 91.9 
		
	
	The figure for 2006-07 represents approximately 2.9 per cent. of total staff costs.
	Information is not available for each salary band or, other than at disproportionate cost, prior to 2005-06. The figures provided do not include the Rent Service or the Health and Safety Executive.
	 7. Average age of employee and number of (i) women and (ii) men in each salary band
	The following table shows the breakdown of staff at September 2007.
	
		
			  Civil service grade  Men  Women  Total  Average age (years) 
			 SCS 189 104 293 46.10 
			 Grade 6 359 262 621 45.75 
			 Grade 7 811 660 1,471 42.53 
			 SEO 1,255 1,444 2,699 44.10 
			 HEO 3,011 4,540 7,551 42.96 
			 EO 12,627 24,842 37,469 43.16 
			 AO 15,049 34,024 49,973 40.79 
			 AA 2,164 3,346 5,510 41.85 
			 DWP Total 35,465 69,222 104,687 42.32 
			  Notes: 1. The numbers shown are whole time equivalent (WTE). 2. The data do not include the Rent Service or the Health and Safety Executive. 3. Temporary staff are not included. 
		
	
	 8. Ethnic composition
	The following table shows the ethnic mix of DWP staff by grade as at September 2007.
	
		
			  Ethnic  SCS  Grade 6  Grade 7  SEO  HEO  EO  AO  AA 
			 Asian and White * * 6 5 22 86 141 17 
			 Asian (Bangladeshi) * * * * 12 94 189 17 
			 Asian (Indian) * * 13 29 114 999 1,493 209 
			 Asian (Other Origin) * * * 11 22 230 335 41 
			 Asian (Pakistani) * * * * 21 217 648 67 
			 Black (African) * * * 8 37 323 403 35 
			 Black (Caribbean) * * * 18 69 676 709 66 
			 Black (Other Origin) * * * * 5 84 85 11 
			 Black African and White * * * * 5 26 57 8 
			 Black Caribbean and White * * * * 12 70 112 9 
			 Chinese * * * * 5 38 83 11 
			 Mixed Ethnicity (Other) * * 5 * 17 113 174 16 
			 Other Ethnic Origin * * * 11 50 245 318 37 
			 White 220 486 1,171 2,224 6,197 29,850 4,231 4,988 
			  Notes: 1. Numbers less than 5 have been replaced with (*) because we cannot disclose the information due to protocols which are in place to protect personal information. 2. The numbers in the table show the ethnicity of those staff that have declared their ethnic origin. Not all DWP employees have chosen to do so and therefore the numbers do not add up to the total DWP work force. 3. Temporary staff are not included. 4 The data do not include the Rent Service or the Health and Safety Executive.

Departmental Pay

Stewart Hosie: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the value is of  (a) pay supplements,  (b) bonuses and  (c) other incentive packages that are payable in his Department on the basis of geographic location; how many people are in receipt of each payment; and what the total cost to his Department of each payment was in 2006-07.

Anne McGuire: The information is as follows:
	 (a) DWP has four geographical pay areas:
	national;
	inner London;
	outer London; and
	specified location zone (SLPZ).
	The differential cost is not a standard amount but is calculated in each individual pay range.
	The current numbers of staff in post in each individual pay area, the April 2007 value of the average additional cost above national rates for each of the main grades and the estimated total additional cost in 2006-07 are contained in the following tables:
	
		
			  Table 1: Staff in post (April 2007) and additional average salary value above national rates in 2006-07 
			   SLPZ  Outer London  Inner London  Total staff 
			   Staff  £  Staff  £  Staff  £  
			 Band A/AA 68 2,116 162 2,229 355 3,379 585 
			 Band B/AO 827 2,318 2,550 2,431 3,730 3,850 7,107 
			 Band C/EO 865 2,333 1,978 2,682 4,593 3,395 7,436 
			 Band D/HEO 112 2,212 233 3,024 818 3,607 1,163 
			 Band E/SEO 27 2,108 55 2,865 323 3,758 405 
			 Band F/Grade 7 8 3,604 19 2,220 228 3,497 255 
			 Band G/Grade 6 3 3,186 5 1,921 71 3,518 79 
			 Total 1,910 — 5,002 — 10,118 — 17,030 
		
	
	The lower than expected average differences for Grades 6 and 7 in the outer London pay area are because a larger proportion of salaries are lower down the pay scale for this group than elsewhere.
	
		
			  Table 2: Estimated total additional cost of pay areas in 2006-07 
			  £ million 
			  Grade  SLPZ  Outer London  Inner London  Total 
			 Band A/AA 0.102 0.328 1.120 1.550 
			 Band B/AO 1.435 5.471 12.222 19.128 
			 Band C/EO 1.626 4.369 15.442 21 .437 
			 Band D/HEO 0.215 0.539 2.830 3.585 
			 Band E /SEO 0.058 0.142 1.206 1.406 
			 Band F/Grade 7 0.022 0.058 0.909 0.989 
			 Band G/Grade 6 0.010 0.018 0.340 0.368 
			 Total 3.470 10.926 34.068 48.463 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 3: Estimated total additional cost as a percentage of total paybill 
			  Percentage 
			  SLPZ  Outer London  Inner London  Total 
			 0.16 0.51 1 .58 2.24 
		
	
	In addition to these pay areas, DWP pays a location based recruitment and retention addition (RRA) to staff based on a number of Scottish islands:
	Orkney (Kirkwall);
	Shetland (Lerwick); and
	Outer Hebrides (Stornoway).
	In 2006-07 an estimated 106 staff were eligible for payments at a total cost of some £125,000.
	 (b) DWP does not pay bonuses on the basis of geographical locations.
	 (c) DWP does not have any incentive packages in place that is based on any particular geographical locations.

Departmental Pay

David Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many Departmental employees were paid  (a) over £60,000 and  (b) over £100,000 per annum, inclusive of bonuses, in the most recent financial year for which figures are available.

Anne McGuire: The information is in the following table:
	
		
			   Number of employees 
			 Over £60,000 405 
			 Over £100,000 48 
			  Note:  The number of employees shown as being paid over £60,000 does not include those being paid over £100,000. 
		
	
	The table gives figures for the number of employees who were paid over £60,000 and over £100,000 (gross) in total during the financial year April 2006 to March 2007. The figures in the table include bonus payments to employees. The award of performance bonuses, which are used to help drive performance, are dependent on achievement of business objectives, and relative to performance of others within the same pay band.

Departmental Public Expenditure

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many  (a) loans,  (b) lump sum payments,  (c) grants,  (d) crisis loans and  (e) budgeting loans have been made by his Department to people in each region in each month since January 2000.

James Plaskitt: holding answer 17 December 200 7
	The available information on Social Fund awards based on Government Office Regions has been placed in the Library.

Disability Living Allowance

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what checks are made on the immigration status of applicants for disability living allowance who declare themselves to be British; and if he will make a statement.

Anne McGuire: The administration of disability living allowance is a matter for the acting chief executive of the disability and carers service, Mrs. Vivien Hopkins. She will write to the hon. Member with the information requested.
	 Letter from Vivien Hopkins, dated 11 January 2008:
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what checks are made on the immigration status of applicants for disability living allowance who declare themselves to be British; and if he will make a statement.
	The Minister for Disabled People, Anne McGuire MP, promised you a substantive reply from the Acting Chief Executive of the Disability and Carers Service.
	I can confirm that where an applicant to Disability Living Allowance declares themselves to be British, they have a National Insurance Number and there is nothing in the information we hold or the customer has provided to contradict the declaration they have made, we enquire no further about their immigration status.
	In order to get a National Insurance number applicants have to undergo rigorous checks in respect of their nationality and right to remain in the United Kingdom. This includes document validation.
	I hope this reply is helpful.

Disability Living Allowance: Mentally Ill

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent representations he has received on the rights of people with mental illnesses to claim the higher level of mobility benefit under the disability living allowance.

Anne McGuire: Our records show that we have received a small number of recent representations relating to the rights of people with mental illnesses to claim the higher rate mobility component.

Disability Living Allowance: Sight Impaired

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many  (a) blind and  (b) partially sighted people are claiming disability living allowance mobility component.

Anne McGuire: The information is not available in the format requested. At May 2007 there were 61,420 people in receipt of the mobility component in disability living allowance whose main disabling condition was that they were blind or they were deaf and blind.

EU Grants and Loans

David Heathcoat-Amory: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people employed in his Department work on administering EU structural funds, and what the cost of such staff was in 2006-07.

James Plaskitt: In 2006-07, 46 people were employed in the Department for Work and Pensions on administering EU structural funds, and the running costs related to these staff were £2.2 million.

Health and Safety Executive: Manpower

Paul Rowen: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many inspectors were employed by the Health and Safety Executive in 2006-07; and how many are expected to be employed in  (a) 2007-08 and  (b) 2008-09.

Anne McGuire: At 1 April 2007, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) employed 1,439 inspectors and it estimates that it will employ approximately 1,400 by 31 March 2008. HSE should be able to provide an estimate of the number of inspectors it expects to employ in 2008-09 following confirmation of its resource settlement for the period April 2008 to March 2011

Housing Benefit

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  how many people had their  (a) housing benefit and  (b) council tax benefit claim backdated by more than three months in each of the last five years;
	(2)  how much was spent on backdating of  (a) housing benefit and  (b) council tax benefit claims for those whose claims were backdated by (i) less than three months and (ii) three months or more in each of the last five years.

James Plaskitt: Prior to April 2007 no information was collected from local authorities on the number of people or the amount of backdating paid out to housing benefit and council tax benefit claimants.
	Following the introduction of a new data source, this information will become available in the future but at the moment there are insufficient data to estimate the number of people or the amount spent on backdating.

Housing Benefit

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what measures have been put in place to ensure that the proposed reduction in backdating of housing benefit claims and council tax benefit claims does not have an adverse impact on vulnerable households.

James Plaskitt: We have worked to ensure that people can gain access to housing benefit and council tax benefit quickly and simply by allowing combined claims with DWP administered benefits, creating new opportunities to claim benefits via third sector partners and enabling local authorities to take telephone and electronic claims.
	This current package will build on these existing measures to simplify the claims process for pensioners further by allowing people who apply for pension credit by telephone to also claim their council tax and housing benefit at the same time, without the need to submit a claim form. These measures will reduce the need for backdating for all claimants, including those in vulnerable households.

Incapacity Benefit

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many and what proportion of applicants for incapacity benefit underwent a face-to-face assessment as part of the process to approve their claim in each year since 1997.

Anne McGuire: Information about the proportion of applicants for incapacity benefits who underwent a face to face assessment and data prior to September 1998 is not available. The available information is in the following table.
	
		
			  Number of medical examinations for incapacity benefits 
			   Number 
			 1 September 1998 to March 1999 330,551 
			 April 1999 to March 2000 450,962 
			 April 2000 to March 2001 374,140 
			 April 2001 to March 2002 485,221 
			 April 2002 to March 2003 520,419 
			 April 2003 to March 2004 497,614 
			 April 2004 to March 2005 457,410 
			 April 2005 to March 2006 493,907 
			 April 2006 to March 2007 507,695 
			 April 2007 to 30 November 2007 362,773 
			  Notes:  1. The figures cover recipients in all age groups.  2. The figures represent all medical examinations and include repeat assessments—not just assessments for new claims.

Jobseeker's Allowance

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if an applicant for job seeker's allowance (JSA) is to be fast-tracked on to the new gateway from day one of their application, what duration that applicant must have spent previously claiming JSA.

James Plaskitt: I refer my right hon. Friend to the answer I gave him on 10 January 2008,  Official Report, column 718W.

Occupational Pensions

Nigel Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the aggregate size of contributions to pension funds was in each year since 1997.

Mike O'Brien: The information requested is as follows.
	
		
			  Total contributions to private pension schemes, 1997 to 2005 
			   Total contributions to pension schemes (£ billion) 
			 1997 38.8 
			 1998 41.2 
			 1999 44.0 
			 2000 47.4 
			 2001 49.0 
			 2002 54.4 
			 2003 62.5 
			 2004 67.6 
			 2005 75.5 
			  Notes: 1. All figures are estimates for the United Kingdom. 2005 is the latest year for which the data are available. 2. The answer covers funded occupational schemes, unfunded occupational schemes, and personal pension schemes. 3. Total pension contributions include both employee and employer contributions.  Source: Office for National Statistics (ONS)

Occupational Pensions

Nigel Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many occupational pension schemes have entered wind-up procedures in each year since 1997; and what percentage of occupational pension schemes operating in each year each figure represents.

Mike O'Brien: The information requested is not available in the format requested.

Occupational Pensions: Low Incomes

Angus MacNeil: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  what steps his Department is taking to ensure that employers provide access to an occupational pension scheme for their employees;
	(2)  what plans he has to give low income employees access to an occupational pension.

Mike O'Brien: Through the Pensions Bill 2007 currently before Parliament we will introduce a requirement on all employers to automatically enrol workers who are eligible into a qualifying workplace pension scheme. This will help to overcome barriers to saving such as inertia. Our estimates indicate this will result in between six and nine million people newly participating or saving more in workplace pensions, transforming the savings culture in the UK.
	The Bill will introduce for the first time a mandatory employer contribution which will provide a clear incentive to save, and help those on low and moderate incomes to build up their pension funds. Overall annual pension contributions are estimated to increase by up to around £10 billion by 2015.

Pension Credit: Greater London

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many pensioners in each London constituency did not take up their entitlement to pension credit in each of the last five years.

Mike O'Brien: Estimates of eligibility and take-up are not available below the level of Great Britain. It is not therefore possible to say how many people are eligible for pension credit and of those how many did not take up their entitlement in each London constituency.
	Latest estimates of take-up rates and the number of pensioners who were entitled to but not claiming pension credit in Great Britain were published in the "Income Related Benefits Estimates of Take-Up in 2005/06" report. A copy of this report is available in the Library.

Pensions

Paul Rowen: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many pensioners receive  (a) the basic state pension alone and  (b) the basic state pension and pension credits.

Mike O'Brien: 9,327,800 pensioners receive state pension and 2,360,900 receive the state pension and pension credit.
	 Notes
	1. Data are taken from 5 per cent. extracts of the Pensions Strategy Computer System and Income Support Computer System, therefore figures are subject to a degree of sampling variation. They are also adjusted to be consistent with the overall caseload from the Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study.
	2. Caseload figures are rounded to the nearest 100.
	3. State pension awards include those receiving basic state pension, inherited basic state pension and basic state pension plus additional pension and/or graduated retirement benefit. The figures do not include those receiving only additional pension and/or graduated retirement benefit.
	4. Pension credit awards include Guarantee Credit only, Guarantee Credit and Savings Credit and Savings Credit only
	5. Includes state pension overseas cases.
	6. State pension data for March 2007 have been merged with pension credit data for May 2007 to provide an estimated number getting both benefits. This method is consistent with that used to produce the 5 per cent. Client Group Analysis data.
	 Source
	5 per cent. sample, DWP Information Directorate.

Pensions

Nigel Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the percentage of pensioners who will retire in the 2007-08 fiscal year and are enrolled in an  (a) final salary scheme and  (b) defined contribution scheme.

Mike O'Brien: The information is not available in the format requested.

Pensions: Financial Assistance Scheme

Susan Kramer: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much the Financial Assistance Scheme for pensions has paid out to individuals in each year for which figures are available.

Mike O'Brien: Total assistance paid out to scheme members since the Financial Assistance Scheme was announced in May 2004 is shown in the following table.
	
		
			   Gross expenditure (£) 
			 2005-06 99,333 
			 2006-07 3,730,468 
			 2007-08 up to and including 28 December 2007 8,658,973 
			 Overall total up to and including 28 December 2007 12,488,774

Pensions: Insolvency

Nigel Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what his estimate is of the number of companies which face increases in their annual payments to the Pension Protection Fund as a result of their overturned appeals against its levy.

Mike O'Brien: The Board of Pension Protection Fund (PPF) is responsible for the calculation of the Pension Protection Levy and is required by law to publish in advance the rules it has determined for calculating the levy for each financial year. No eligible scheme is required to pay more than the amount correctly calculated in accordance with the rules determined by the board.
	Eligible schemes may use a statutory appeals process to challenge whether an individual levy invoice has been calculated correctly, in accordance with the rules and using the relevant scheme data. As at 31 November 2007, 3,520 invoices have been issued to eligible schemes. Of these 3,520 invoices issued, less than 1 per cent. of schemes (34) had applied for their 2007-08 invoice to be formally reviewed by the PPF. 25 of the applications met the criteria for a review. Nine did not meet these criteria for a number of reasons, including not meeting the 28-day deadline for querying a levy invoice. 10 reviews have been completed. One application for review was successful, resulting in a revised invoice being issued. In nine cases the original invoice was found to be in accordance with the published rules. 15 appeals await completion of the review process. No scheme has been re-invoiced for a higher amount for 2007-08 as a result of an overturned appeal.
	Schemes may apply to the Pension Protection Fund Ombudsman if they are dissatisfied with the decision of the PPF's Reconsideration Committee. No applications have been received by the PPFO for 2007-08.

Pensions: Overseas Residence

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many overseas recipients of the graduated pension have their pensions frozen.

Mike O'Brien: In March 2007 there were around 300,000 pensioners living overseas with their state pension, which includes graduated retirement benefit, frozen.
	 Note:
	The answer covers pensioners with graduated retirement benefit in payment whether as a result of their own accruals or through inheritance.
	 Source:
	5 per cent. sample of the Retirement Pension and Widows Benefit dataset.

Pensions: Wales

Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many residents of Wales had cases managed by the Pension Service's Newcastle office in the last 12-month period for which figures are available.

Mike O'Brien: All new claims to state pension and pension credit in the last 12 months for residents in Wales have been managed by Swansea Pension Centre.
	However the National Pension Centre in Newcastle currently manages a caseload of approximately 4.2 million state pension customers. Included in this are 180,000 residents of Wales. All of these cases are historically over 12 months old. National Pension Centre is also responsible nationally for cases requiring specialist action. They own these cases for the duration of the action and currently there are 1,638 cases that reside in Wales.
	All the statistics are current as of October 2007.

Remploy

Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the value is of work sub-contracted by Remploy's Furniture Group to other companies outside Remploy.

Anne McGuire: Remploy has contracted out work to the value of £81,229 from its furniture business in the first eight months of the 2007-08 financial year.

Retirement: West Midlands

Gisela Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number of people in the West Midlands who have not made financial provisions for their retirement; and if he will make a statement.

Mike O'Brien: The information requested is not available.

Social Security Benefits: Depression

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what benefits can be claimed by parents of children who have been prescribed drugs for depression and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder; how many cases there were of benefits claimed on this basis in each year since 1996-97; and if he will make a statement.

Anne McGuire: There is a range of benefits that can be claimed by parents of children with health problems. Entitlement to disability living allowance is not linked to particular disabling conditions, but on the extent to which a severely disabled person has personal care needs and/or walking difficulties as a result of their disability. Parents can claim disability living allowance for children who have been prescribed drugs for depression and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, as long as their disability meets the above criteria. Parents of children who are awarded the middle or highest rate of the care component of disability living allowance may also qualify for carer's allowance or income support if they satisfy the appropriate conditions of entitlement.
	For disability living allowance, depression and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder fall into three categories of disabling condition. The available information about the number of cases is in the following table. Information about the number of parents who claim carer's allowance or income support for children who have been prescribed drugs for depression and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder is not available.
	
		
			  Disability living allowance cases in payment to people aged under 16 
			   Learning difficulties  Behavioural disorder  Hyperkinetic syndrome 
			 May 1996 45,500 13,400 200 
			 May 1997 50,200 17,400 400 
			 May 1998 53,900 22,600 500 
			 May 1999 56,900 27,900 500 
			 May 2000 59,500 34,300 700 
			 May 2001 62,700 41,900 900 
			 May 2002 65,540 51,490 1,030 
			 May 2003 69,130 58,600 1,010 
			 May 2004 71,680 64,340 1,060 
			 May 2005 74,480 69,500 1,130 
			 May 2006 77,920 72,080 1,140 
			 May 2007 83,080 72,690 2,150 
			  Notes: 1. Figures for May 2002 to May 2007 are rounded to the nearest 10. 2. Figures are for cases in payment only, i.e. they exclude cases where payment has been suspended for example where the claimant is in hospital. 3. Figures for May 1996 to May 2001 are taken from a 5 per cent. sample and are therefore subject to sampling variation. 4. Figures for May 1996 to May 2001 have also been adjusted in line with the WPLS data and rounded to the nearest hundred. 5. Totals may not sum due to rounding.  Source: DWP Information Directorate five per cent sample and 100 per cent WPLS data

State Retirement Pensions

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  how many people were underpaid their state pension in each of the last five years; and how many people complained about such underpayments in each year;
	(2)  what estimate he has made of the total amount underpaid to recipients of the state pension in each of the last five years;
	(3)  how many people have been refused the payment of money underpaid but due to them for their state pension as a result of a complaint taking place outside the one year guideline period since 2001.

Mike O'Brien: holding answer 3 December 2007
	The information on the number of people who have been underpaid state pension in the last five years is not available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
	The Department derives annual estimates of the amount of state pension that is underpaid due to official error through examination of a random sample of cases. The sample is a small one, and as a result the estimates have wide margins of error. As such the estimates should not be used to draw conclusions about changes over time in the level of underpayments. They do allow us to say with confidence that the level has remained very low as a percentage of state pension expenditure over the last five years.
	Estimates of underpayments of state pension for the last five years are in the following table.
	
		
			   Underpayments (£ million)  Underpayments as a percentage of expenditure 
			 2006-07 80 0.2 
			 2005-06 60 0.1 
			 2004-05 70 0.1 
			 2003-04 20 0.0 
			 2002-03 80 0.2 
			  Notes: 1. Monetary estimates are rounded to the nearest £10 million.  2. Percentages are rounded to the nearest 0.1 per cent.  Data Source:  The State Pension Monetary Value of Error Exercise 
		
	
	Complaints data are not separated by individual benefit type and the categories used do not draw out underpaid benefit as a complaint type. We are, however, looking to rectify this in a planned change to our complaints database over the next three months.
	Specifically, where it is discovered that a person has been underpaid state pension as a result of an error in the original calculation of their entitlement, arrears of pension are paid from the date from which the person first became entitled. Compensation is considered under the terms of the Departmental Guide to Financial Redress for Misadministration, a copy of which is available in the Library.
	http://www.dwp.gov.uk/publications/dwp/2003/frm/

Winter Fuel Payments: Cleethorpes

Shona McIsaac: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many eligible pensioners in Cleethorpes constituency received winter fuel allowance in each year since its introduction.

Mike O'Brien: Information relating to winter fuel payments for the winters of 1997-98 and 1998-99 is not available. The information from winter 1999-2000 is in the following table.
	
		
			  Cleethorpes constituency 
			   Payments made 
			 1999-2000 16,830 
			 2000-01 18,910 
			 2001-02 19,420 
			 2002-03 19,810 
			 2003-04 20,145 
			 2004-05 20,150 
			 2005-06 20,490 
			 2006-07 20,980 
			  Source:  Information directorate 100 per cent data.   Notes:  Figures rounded to the nearest 10.  2. Parliamentary constituencies are assigned by matching postcodes against the relevant ONS postcode directory.

Winter Fuel Payments: Hendon

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many pensioners in Hendon  (a) were entitled to receive and  (b) have received winter fuel payments in 2007; how many received the over-80s rate of £300; what additional cold weather payments are available to those on pension credit; how many pensioners in Hendon received such additional payments in the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement.

Mike O'Brien: It is not possible to say how many people in Hendon are entitled to receive a winter fuel payment. This is because not everyone aged 60 or over will be entitled to a payment. A person is not entitled to a winter fuel payment if, for example, they are serving a custodial sentence or have been in hospital for more than 52 weeks. Figures for payments made this winter are not yet available. In winter 2006-07 we made 17,760 winter fuel payments to people in the Hendon constituency and of these 4,090 went to people aged 80 or over. We expect the figures for this winter to be similar.
	Cold weather payments provide extra help towards heating costs for the poorest and most vulnerable members of our society, including pensioners receiving pension credit, in periods of exceptionally cold weather.
	A cold weather payment of £8.50 is made automatically to people awarded pension credit when the average temperature is recorded as, or forecast to be, 0 degrees Celsius or below over seven consecutive days at the weather station linked to the customer's postcode. Savings are not taken into account and cold weather payments are paid in addition to winter fuel payments.
	No pensioners in Hendon have received a cold weather payment in the last 12 months as the temperature criterion has not been met.

PRIME MINISTER

Administration of Justice

David Drew: To ask the Prime Minister if he will discuss the relationship between Sharia law and the English civil law system when he next meets the Archbishop of Canterbury.

Gordon Brown: My officials and I have meetings with a wide range of organisations and individuals on a range of subjects.

Chequers: Official Hospitality

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Prime Minister if he will make it his policy to publish the names of people he invites to Chequers.

Gordon Brown: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 29 January 2008,  Official Report, columns 286-7W, the hon. Member for North Norfolk (Norman Lamb).

Departmental Internet

Mark Hoban: To ask the Prime Minister 
	(1)  how much has been spent on video recording equipment for the purposes of films for the 10 Downing street YouTube video platform since 27 June 2007;
	(2)  how many  (a) unique hits and  (b) total visitors the 10 Downing street YouTube video platform received in each month since its establishment;
	(3)  how much was spent on website designers to design the 10 Downing street YouTube video platform;
	(4)  how many full-time equivalent staff worked on the 10 Downing street YouTube video platform in each month since 27 June 2007;
	(5)  what the pay grades are of the staff who work on the 10 Downing street YouTube video platform.

Gordon Brown: For the costs of the No. 10 website including costs associated with the YouTube site, I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave the hon. Member for Lewes (Norman Baker) on 17 October 2007,  Official Report, columns 1134-5W. In addition, six people work in the No. 10 web team. Since May 2007 there have been approximately 2 million film views on the Downing street YouTube site.

Elderly: Ministerial Responsibility

Margaret Moran: To ask the Prime Minister if he will appoint a Minister for older people; and if he will bring forward proposals to appoint a commissioner for older people.

Gordon Brown: The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions is responsible in this area at Cabinet level and has responsibility for delivering the agenda across Government. The Government have set a public service agreement (PSA) target to "Tackle poverty and promote greater independence and well-being in later life." This is the first time that Government have set a PSA target specifically for older people. It complements other PSAs on, for example, health care and employment that address key concerns for those over 50. Work to deliver this PSA target is being taken forward by a number of Departments.
	There is currently no plan to appoint a UK commission for older people.

Honours

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Prime Minister if he will make it his policy to bring forward legislative proposals to require the revocation of  (a) knighthhoods and  (b) other honours where the behaviour or conduct of the holder is held to be dishonourable by the committee which recommended the conferral of the award.

Gordon Brown: The Sovereign may already, on the advice of Ministers, cancel membership of any of the Orders of Knighthood at any level or appointment as Knight Bachelor.

Joint Intelligence Committee: Public Appointments

Lynne Jones: To ask the Prime Minister pursuant to the answer of 18 February 2008,  Official Report, column 127W, on Joint Intelligence Committee: public appointments, whether there was a Civil Service-wide competition held in 2007 for the appointment to the post of Chairman of the Joint Intelligence Committee.

Gordon Brown: I have nothing further to add to the answer I gave my hon. Friend on 18 February 2008,  Official Report, column 127W.

Ministerial Policy Advisors

Theresa May: To ask the Prime Minister pursuant to the Written Ministerial Statement of 22 November 2007,  Official Report, columns 147-50WS, on numbers and cost of special advisers, how many  (a) male and  (b) female special advisers are paid in each pay band.

Gordon Brown: I have nothing further to add to my written statement on 22 November 2007,  Official  R eport, columns 147-150WS.

Multi-National Chairmen's Group

Dai Davies: To ask the Prime Minister how many meetings of the Multi-National Chairmen's Group have been held at 10 Downing Street  (a) since he became Prime Minister and  (b) during the time his predecessor held office; and if he will publish the minutes of the meetings of the group.

Gordon Brown: Ministers have meetings with a wide range of organisations and individuals on a range of subjects.

Official Visits: India

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Prime Minister which representatives of  (a) industry and  (b) non-governmental organisations accompanied him on his visit to India in January.

Gordon Brown: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave on 4 February 2008,  Official Report, column 747-8W, to the hon. Member for Blaenau Gwent (Mr. Davies).

Operating Costs

David Laws: To ask the Prime Minister what the budget is for the running costs of 10 Downing Street in 2007-08; and if he will make a statement.

Gordon Brown: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 22 February 2008,  Official Report, columns 1098-99W.

Romania

Mike Hancock: To ask the Prime Minister when he or any of his predecessors last visited Romania, other than for EU or NATO conferences; and whether he plans to make any such visit.

Gordon Brown: Since 1999 the Government have published an annual list of all visits overseas undertaken by Cabinet Ministers costing £500 or more during each financial year. Copies of these lists are available in the Library of the House.

WALES

Sustainable Development: Transport

Hywel Francis: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what discussions he has had with  (a) the Chancellor of the Exchequer and  (b) the Secretary of State for Transport to ensure that part of the new funding of £140 million to promote walking and cycling is made available to the devolved Administrations of the United Kingdom; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Murphy: I have regular discussions with all members of the Cabinet.
	The funding made available to promote cycling and walking in England by the Department for Transport has come from the existing comprehensive spending review settlement for that Department. The settlements for the devolved Administrations were determined by the application of the Barnett formula in the normal way.

Sustainable Development: Transport

Hywel Francis: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what discussions he has had with Ministers of the Welsh Assembly Government and the UK Government to ensure that adequate matching funding is available to the successful Connect 2 lottery bid; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Murphy: I have regular meetings with ministerial colleagues both in Whitehall and the Assembly Government to discuss issues affecting Wales.
	I would like to congratulate Sustrans' successful lottery bid for the UK-wide Connect 2 scheme, which won the public vote for the Big Lottery Fund's "The People's £50 million" contest. The Connect 2 scheme in Wales will see funding for 11 schemes across Wales, including a bridge spanning Cardiff bay and other schemes for Merthyr Tydfil, Newport and Carmarthen.
	The UK Government and the Assembly Government match fund a number of schemes, including £60 million in capital grants to improve local roads; £3.9 million on cycling infrastructure schemes to provide infrastructure and promote safe use of the network; £8.1 million in capital grants towards local authority safety schemes; and 5.6 million to local authorities to support local road safety schemes.

CHILDREN, SCHOOLS AND FAMILIES

Departmental Visits Abroad

Jeremy Browne: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many overseas visits by officials in his Department took place in each of the last 10 years; which countries were visited; and how much was spent on such visits in each such year.

Kevin Brennan: Details of overseas visits by officials over the last seven financial years are set out as follows:
	
		
			  Financial year  Number of visits  Cost (£) 
			 2001-02 226 138,964 
			 2002-03 375 240,768 
			 2003-04 423 197,297 
			 2004-05 398 167,675 
			 2005-06 455 251,630 
			 2006-07 405 251,328 
			 2007-31 January 2008 164 189,277 
		
	
	The countries visited are:
	Algeria
	Armenia
	Australia
	Austria
	Belgium
	Bosnia Herzegovina
	Botswana
	Bulgaria
	Canada
	Chile
	China
	Croatia
	Cyprus
	Czech Republic
	Denmark
	Egypt
	Estonia
	Finland
	France
	Germany
	Ghana
	Greece
	Hong Kong
	Hungary
	Iceland
	India
	Israel
	Italy
	Japan
	Jordan
	Kenya
	Korean Republic
	Latvia
	Lithuania
	Luxembourg
	Malaysia
	Malta
	Mauritius
	Mexico
	Morocco
	Namibia
	Netherlands
	New Zealand
	Norway
	Oman
	Pakistan
	Poland
	Portugal
	Qatar
	Romania
	Russia
	Rwanda
	Sandi Arabia
	Serbia
	Seychelles
	Sierra Leone
	Singapore
	Slovakia
	Slovenia
	South Africa
	Spain
	Sweden
	Switzerland
	Thailand
	Turkey
	Ukraine
	United Arab Emirates
	USA.

Extended Schools

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Yeovil of 21 February 2008,  Official Report, columns 849-51W, on extended schools, what the equivalent data are for the Wirral.

Beverley Hughes: In 2008-09 to 2010-11 a total of £1.3 billion of funding will be made available nationally to support the development of extended schools. The allocations for the Wirral are set out in the following table.
	
		
			  Extended schools funding 2008-2011 ,  Wirral LA 
			   2008-09 (£)  2009-10 (£)  2010-11 (£)  Total CSR period (£ million) 
			  
			 Start Up 1,182,041 1,215,524 499,875 2,897,440 
			 Sustainability 470,744 861,429 1,213,686 2,545,859 
			 Extended Schools Subsidy Scheme — — — — 
			 Academic-Focused Study Support (1)— — — — 
			 Total Extended Schools Revenue 1,652,785 2,076,953 1,713,561 5,443,299 
			 Total Extended Schools Capital 550,038 582,778 301,211 1,434,027 
			 Total Extended Schools Revenue and Capital 2,202,823 2,659,731 2,014,772 6,877,326 
			 (1) Funding not available until 2009-10 
		
	
	The Department has announced the individual local authority allocations for the next three years for the start-up, sustainability and capital funding streams. The Government have not yet announced the individual local authority allocations for the extended schools subsidy and the academic-focused study support funding.
	As my answer to the hon. Member for Yeovil (Mr. Laws) of 21 February 2008,  Official Report, columns 849-51W, explained, information is not collected centrally on the number of schools which charge parents for their children to attend extended activities, and what the levels of charges are.

BUSINESS, ENTERPRISE AND REGULATORY REFORM

Post Office Closures

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what discussions he has had with Post Office Counters Ltd on its incentive structure for post office closures.

Patrick McFadden: Post Office Ltd. has no staff incentive structure based on numbers of post office closures.

Post Office Closures

David Burrowes: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what stage the post office closure consultation programme has reached; and if he will make a statement.

Patrick McFadden: As of this week, 20 area plans have been published and put out to local consultation and final decisions had been announced for 12 of them.

Post Office Closures

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what recent assessment he has made of the effect of post office closures on local economies.

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what assessment he has made of the effects of post office closures on local economies.

Patrick McFadden: The Government have asked Post Office Ltd., in drawing up its proposals for post office closures, to consider a range of local socio-economic factors including the impact on local economies and availability of public transport.
	Assessment of the local impact of the proposed closure of specific individual post offices is an operational matter for Post Office Ltd., with input from Postwatch, in developing its area plan proposals and consulting locally on them.

Regulatory Reform

Andrew MacKay: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what plans he has for further regulatory reform.

Patrick McFadden: The Government have one of the most respected regulatory reform programmes in the world, focused on improving regulatory outcomes while reducing unnecessary burdens. Our focus is on ensuring this programme delivers effectively.
	The Simplification Plans that Departments published in December 2007 showed that Government had delivered £800 million of annual savings for business through these plans.

Agency Workers

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform when he next expects to meet representatives of small business organisations to discuss the regulation of agency workers.

Patrick McFadden: The Department is in regular contact with representatives of small businesses to discuss all issues of relevance to the sector.

Wind Farms

John Whittingdale: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what account he takes of local opinion in determining applications for onshore wind farms; and if he will make a statement.

Malcolm Wicks: The Secretary of State takes all representations into account before reaching a decision. Where a local authority, on behalf of the local community, objects to an onshore wind farm application within its boundaries, the Secretary of State is obliged to call a public inquiry. The Secretary of State can also call a discretionary public inquiry in the light of other objections.

Coal-fired Power Stations

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what his policy is on carbon capture at new coal-fired power stations.

Malcolm Wicks: Following our commitment in last year's Energy White Paper, we will be consulting shortly on carbon capture and storage. This will include seeking views on the recently published draft EU Directive which proposes mandatory carbon capture readiness for all combustion power stations.

Energy Costs

Eric Illsley: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what recent assessment he has made of the effects of changes in energy costs on energy intensive industries; and if he will make a statement.

Malcolm Wicks: The Government fully appreciate the significance of energy costs to industry. Therefore my Department meets regularly with members of the Energy Intensive Users' Group and other representative industry groups, to understand the implications for business of changes in these costs. We also seek industry views on strategic energy issues through the Business Energy Forum, which is jointly chaired by Ministers and the CBI.

Lending

Graham Allen: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what steps he is taking to prevent unscrupulous lending practices.

Gareth Thomas: I am committed to tackling unscrupulous loan sharks who exploit vulnerable people in our poorest communities. In 2004 we established two pilot enforcement teams in Birmingham and Glasgow to track down and prosecute illegal money lenders.
	Following evaluation of the pilots I announced £2.8 million in September for a national crackdown on illegal lending. There's now a team in every region of Britain and we have committed to fund this work through the next spending period.

E-mail and Postal Fraud

John Barrett: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what steps his Department is taking to prevent e-mail and postal fraud.

Patrick McFadden: The Government set out their consumer strategy in their publication "A Fair Deal for All". The strategy recognises that enforcement needs to be more effective at stopping those who deliberately set out to defraud consumers, often targeting the most vulnerable. The Office of Fair Trading takes the lead on tackling scams conducted through mass mailings which pose a serious problem for unwary consumers.
	Many ISPs are taking active steps to prevent bad traffic reaching their customers and many have spam e-mail boxes which enable their customers to complain about specific e-mails. Both Government and Ofcom are talking to the ISPs about how we might improve standards across the sector and how those improvements might be made more visible to end users. These discussions now need to reflect the recently published proposals from the European Commission regarding the review of the telecoms regulatory framework and which include recommendations designed to reduce the impact of spam.

Electricity Generation

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform if he will commission research on the effects on mortality rates and livelihoods of different forms of electricity generation per MWh of electricity generated.

Malcolm Wicks: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has no such plans. If the hon. Member has particular concerns, he could draw them to the attention of the Health Protection Agency or the Health and Safety Executive.

Renewable Energy

Tom Levitt: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what assessment he has made of the merits of feed-in tariffs in encouraging local generation of renewable energy.

Malcolm Wicks: The Government are absolutely committed to the renewables obligation as a market-based mechanism to deliver renewable energy to the UK.
	We are now proposing a new renewable energy strategy and we are developing that within BERR. We will be consulting in the early summer and we will be looking afresh at microgeneration and any proposals to boost microgeneration, including a feed-in tariff arrangement.
	I want to make it clear that a fresh look at microgeneration is not at all challenging the mainstream renewables obligation, which we think is fit for purpose.

Flexible Working

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how many workers are entitled to request flexible working; and if he will make a statement.

Patrick McFadden: Around six million employees currently enjoy the right to request flexible working, of whom some 3.6 million are parents of young or disabled children. The scope of the law was extended to carers of adults on 6 April 2007, giving the right to an additional 2.65 million employees.
	On 6 November 2007, my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister announced that the Government had decided to extend the scope of the right to request flexible working to parents of older children. Imelda Walsh, HR Director of J Sainsbury plc, was appointed to lead an independent review into what the age cut-off should be. She is expected to report in the spring of this year.

Bankruptcy: Wales

Mark Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how many bankruptcies there were in Wales since 1990, broken down by industry group.

Patrick McFadden: It is not possible from records held centrally and in a readily available format to provide all the information requested. Table 1 provides the statistics which could be compiled in the time available and which most closely match those requested; to provide additional years', or more detailed, figures would incur disproportionate cost.
	
		
			  Table 1: Bankruptcies in Wales , Government office region (GOR), by Insolvency Trade Classification (ITC) 
			   2000  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006( 1) 
			  Traders
			 Agriculture 15 9 7 19 11 11 5 
			 Manufacturing 28 39 21 20 16 28 27 
			 Construction and Transport 170 156 117 130 107 108 78 
			 Wholesale and Retail 109 96 70 53 48 41 34 
			 Services 140 119 111 99 83 85 90 
			 Other 88 88 70 82 73 71 66 
			 Total traders 550 507 396 403 338 344 300 
			 
			  Non-traders 498 605 795 814 1,141 1,529 1,072 
			 
			  Missing 44 13 16 5 10 37 18 
			 
			  Total bankruptcies 1,092 1,125 1,207 1,222 1,489 1,910 1,390 
			 (1) January to June.  Notes: 1. The Insolvency Trade Classification (ITC) was used to classify trading-related bankruptcies (and company liquidations) until end September 2006. However, only the period from January-June 2006 is provided because of the way the data are held. 2. Only the broad industry groupings under the ITC are shown above, because numbers are relatively small, and to aid interpretation of the figures. 3. By the end of the period shown over 75 per cent. of bankruptcies are recorded as non-traders and so have no associated industry classification. 4. The geographical information presented above is based on bankrupts' postcodes and is subject to an element of missing or unusable data. Nationally, this has been decreasing from around 12 per cent. in 2000 to 4 per cent. in 2006.

Departmental Secondment

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how many secondments of staff were made  (a) to and  (b) from his Department in each year since 1997; which organisations staff were seconded (i) to and (ii) from; how many staff were seconded in each year; for how long each secondment lasted; and what the cost was of each secondment in each year.

Gareth Thomas: The Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform welcome opportunities to promote and exchange best practice with organisations outside Government by way of secondments.
	The details of departmental inward and outward secondments between 1997 and 2005 have been placed in the Libraries of the House. Details of costs are not available. Responsibility for collating details of inward and outward secondments was devolved to departmental groups in 2006 and records from this period are not held centrally. However, in October 2007 departmental groups reported that there were 25 secondees working in BERR from non-Government Departments. A list of these is also being placed in the Libraries of the House.

DEFENCE

Armed Forces: Protective Clothing

Ann Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 18 February 2008,  Official Report, column 82W, on armed forces: protective clothing, what items of equipment personnel are issued for use in self-extraction from minefields.

Des Browne: All deployed personnel are trained in minefield self-extraction procedures using equipment available to them on operations. I am withholding specific details on minefield extraction equipment and techniques as its release would, or would be likely to, prejudice the capability, effectiveness and security of the armed forces.

Defence: Expenditure

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will estimate what defence expenditure in 2007-08 would be if  (a) it was at the same level in real terms as in 1984-85,  (b) it formed the same proportion of gross domestic product as in 1984-85 and  (c) if the proportion of public expenditure accounted for by defence expenditure was the same as the average proportion during the 1980s.

Bob Ainsworth: HM Treasury's Public Expenditure Statistical Analyses (PESA) 2007 (Cm 7091), available on the HM Treasury website, gives outturn figures for Defence spending back to 1987-88. These include figures for Defence spending as a proportion of total managed expenditure and as a percentage of gross domestic product.
	The 1999-2000 edition of PESA—also available online—gives figures back as far as 1983-84, but for technical reasons, these are not necessarily consistent with the latest PESA tables and so are illustrative only.

Departmental Manpower

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many  (a) staff and  (b) full-time equivalent staff under 18 years are employed by his Department.

Derek Twigg: The following table shows the number of headcount and full-time equivalent civilian personnel(1) below the age of 18, 18 and over and total civilian personnel who were employed by the Ministry of Defence as at 1 January 2008.
	
		
			  Age  Headcount( 2)  Full- time equivalent( 2) 
			 Under 18 90 90 
			 18 and over 80,670 78,290 
			 Total civilian personnel(1) 80,770 78,380 
			 (1) Civilian personnel includes all non-industrial, industrial and Trading Fund Ministry of Defence personnel, but excludes Locally Engaged Civilians and Royal Fleet Auxiliaries figures for which age data are not known. (2) Full-time equivalent is a measure of the size of the work force that takes account of part-time hours. Headcount is a measure of the size of the work force that counts all people equally regardless of their hours of work.  Note: Numbers have been rounded to the nearest 10, and subtotals may not sum to total.

Departmental Temporary Employment

Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what average hourly rate his Department paid to employment agencies for agency staff in each year since 1999, broken down by employment agency.

Derek Twigg: For the most part, this information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. However, I am able to provide details for administrative and clerical grades from 1 December 2006 to 1 November 2007 as this recruitment service is now provided centrally within MOD by the People, Pay and Pensions Agency (PPPA). The employment agencies contracted to recruit agency staff are Reed, Hayes, Brook Street, Pertemps, Manpower, Select, Carlisle Recruitment and Adecco. I should stress that the use of these agency staff only occurs after all other employment options have been considered.
	For the period 1 December 2006 to 31 March 2007, the average hourly rate paid to employment agencies for administrative and clerical grades was £8.61. For the period from 1 April 2007 to 1 November 2007, the average hourly rate was £8.64.
	I am withholding the individual rate for each employment agency as the information is commercial in confidence.

Iraq: War Crimes

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether the Government have received any requests from the International Criminal Court for UK military personnel to stand trial there for an alleged war crime in Iraq.

Des Browne: No requests have been received from the International Criminal Court.

Porton Down: Human Experiments

Mark Todd: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what settlement has been reached in respect of veterans' claims relating to participation in trials at Porton Down; what the implications of the settlement are for veterans not represented in the claims made; and if he will make a statement.

Derek Twigg: I will write to the hon. Member and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.

OLYMPICS

Olympic Games 2012: Gun Sports

Mike Hancock: To ask the Minister for the Olympics how much has been spent to date on  (a) surveying,  (b) preparatory work and  (c) other work on potential sites for the 2012 Olympics shooting events at (i) Royal Artillery Barracks, (ii) Bisley, (iii) Dartford and (iv) Evershot, Dorset; and if she will make a statement.

Tessa Jowell: While surveys and exploratory visits were made to several existing locations as part of venue considerations at the time of the 2012 bid, any expenditure related to that work was not recorded by venue. Since the bid, only nominal sums have been spent so far on further preparatory works.

WOMEN AND EQUALITY

Domestic Violence

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality what funding is being provided from the public purse for organisations supporting those affected by domestic violence in 2008-09.

Barbara Follett: It is not possible to forecast accurately how much public money will be spent in 2008-09 on organisations supporting those affected by domestic violence, as support is provided through a mixture of central and local government funding.
	The Supporting People programme provides the main source of public funding for housing-related support in England. This programme is delivered at a local level and decisions on how much money is spent on services for those affected by domestic violence, or other services, are made by the top tier local authorities, based on a local needs assessment. The 2008-09 allocations for Supporting People amount to £1.686 billion. We do know that top tier local authorities spent £59,333,258 on services for those affected by domestic violence in 2005-06, and £61,645,319 in 2006-07.
	In 2008-09 the Calderdale Women's Centre will receive £177,659 to support its work in identifying and supporting women experiencing chronic social exclusion as a result of domestic violence. This money will be made available through the Adults facing Chronic Exclusion Programme, which is funded by the Department for Communities and Local Government, the Home Office, Department of Health and Department for Work and Pensions.
	The Ministry of Justice has allocated £3 million per year over the three years from 2008-07 for Independent Domestic Violence Advisers, whose aim is the safety and support of victims and their children. This is in addition to annual court business costs.
	Finally, the Home Office is investing over £20 million over the next three years on tackling violent crime, including domestic violence. Part of this funding will be used to fund multi-agency work to support victims of domestic violence.

LEADER OF THE HOUSE

Departmental Homeworking

David Simpson: To ask the Leader of the House how many people in her office have been authorised to work from home in the last 12 months.

Harriet Harman: Following the Machinery of Government changes in May 2007, the Leader of the House of Commons office now forms part of the Cabinet Office.
	Staff and managers are able to consider various forms of flexible working, including home working. Arrangements for home working are made locally by individual line managers and no record is held.

Departmental Travel

Philip Hammond: To ask the Leader of the House how much staff of each grade in her office spent on first class travel in the last 12-month period for which information is available.

Harriet Harman: The information requested is as follows:
	
		
			  Grade  Cost of first class travel (£) 
			 B2 366

Drinking Water

John Spellar: To ask the Leader of the House how much her office spent on bottled water in the latest year for which figures are available.

Harriet Harman: The Leader of the House of Commons Office forms part of the Cabinet Office. The Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster will be answering this question shortly on behalf of the Cabinet Office.

ELECTORAL COMMISSION COMMITTEE

Party Political Funding

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the hon. Member for Gosport, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission what progress the Electoral Commission has made on clarifying the rules governing the funding of political parties.

Peter Viggers: The Electoral Commission informs me that it provides a range of guidance materials and training on party and election finance issues. In addition, and in response to a key recommendation of the Committee on Standards in Public Life, the Commission now offers parties the opportunity to seek an advisory opinion on how particularly complex matters will be treated.

Electoral Register

Richard Shepherd: To ask the hon. Member for Gosport, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission what guidance the Electoral Commission has provided to electoral registration officers on the promotion of credit referencing as a reason to apply for inclusion on an electoral roll on council-maintained websites.

Peter Viggers: The Electoral Commission informs me that it has issued no guidance on this matter, and does not intend to do so; it does not believe that non-electoral information should be used to encourage electoral registration.

Electoral Register: Commonwealth

Richard Shepherd: To ask the hon. Member for Gosport, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission whether the Electoral Commission has provided advice to the Government on updating Electoral Registration form, RP12, on the legal residency qualifications necessary for Commonwealth citizens to register.

Peter Viggers: The Electoral Commission informs me that it has not advised the Government on the content of the form, sometimes referred to as RP12, which is used to apply for electoral registration outside the annual canvass period. I am advised that this form is not statutory and individual electoral registration officers design their own forms. The Commission last advised the Government on the contents of the annual electoral registration form in 2006. At that time, the Commission had no comments to make on the presentation of the qualifications for registration on the form.

SCOTLAND

Departmental Consultants

Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how much was spent on external consultants and advisers by  (a) his Department and  (b) each (i) non-departmental public body and (ii) executive agency for which his Department is responsible in each year since 2005.

David Cairns: The Scotland Office incurred no costs on external consultants in 2005-06 or 2006-07.

Departmental Official Hospitality

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many receptions were held at Dover house in each of the last five years.

David Cairns: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 17 July 2007,  Official Report, column 188W. Scotland Office records of events held at Dover house are recorded in financial years rather than calendar years. In financial year 2007-08 there have been 20 receptions held in Dover house thus far, 16 third party and four funded by the Scotland Office. I am pleased to inform the hon. Member that members of the Liberal Democrats in both Houses have taken the opportunity to interact with a range of individuals and organisations by frequent attendance at these receptions.

Departmental Pay

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how much was claimed in reimbursable expenses by Senior Civil Service staff in his Department and its agencies in the last 12-month period for which figures are available.

David Cairns: The Scotland Office paid £1,759.60 of reimbursable expenses to Senior Civil Service staff in 2006-07.

Departmental Private Finance Initiative

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what the  (a) value and  (b) start date was of each private finance initiative project approved by his Department in each of the last three financial years.

David Cairns: The capital value and start date for every signed PFI project are recorded centrally on the Treasury's website at:
	http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/documents/public_private_ partnerships/ppp_pfi_stats.cfm

Drinking Water

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how much his Department spent on bottled water in the latest year for which figures are available.

David Cairns: The Scotland Office spent £2,451 on water coolers in 2006-07. This figure does not include any bottled water obtained for ministerial hospitality as this is subsumed within the supplier's invoice and not recorded separately.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

British Virgin Islands

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when a Minister last visited the British Virgin Islands; and when the next such visit will take place.

Meg Munn: My hon. Friend the then Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, (Bill Rammell), visited the British Virgin Islands on 2 to 4 September 2004.
	Foreign engagements for Government Ministers are kept under constant review. It is not practice to announce such visits until they are firm. Because of the unpredictable nature of world events, final decisions on overseas visits are often not possible until very shortly before the day of travel and an announcement is sometimes not possible until a visit is under way.

Chevening Scholarship Programme

Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 22 January 2008,  Official Report, columns 1850-1W, on the Chevening scholarship programme, which countries he has identified as key countries of interest for the purposes of the programme.

Jim Murphy: holding answer 28 February 2008
	The key countries of interest to us in achieving our policy objectives, to which Chevening scholarships are primarily targeted, are:
	1. China
	2. India
	3. Indonesia
	4. Brazil
	5. Russia
	6. Nigeria
	7. Egypt
	8. Pakistan
	9. Iraq
	10. Turkey
	11. Mexico
	12. Malaysia
	13. South Africa
	14. Iran
	15. Hong Kong
	16. Zimbabwe
	17. Afghanistan
	18. Ukraine
	19. Syria
	20. Korea (South)

Departmental Advertising

Jeremy Browne: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what percentage of his Department's expenditure was on advertising in each of the last 10 years.

Meg Munn: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) does not keep a central record of amounts spent on advertising. The information required to answer the hon. Member's question could only be collated by requiring individual budget holders in the FCO to examine all invoices for the required years. This could be completed only at disproportionate cost.

EC Common Foreign and Security Policy

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what estimate he has made of the  (a) total budget and  (b) UK funding contribution for the EU's Common Foreign and Security Policy in the first year after ratification of the Treaty of Lisbon.

Jim Murphy: holding answer 19 February 2008
	The annual budget for Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP) is agreed at an Economic and Financial Affairs Council meeting and details published online at
	http://ec.europa.eu/budget/publications/budget_en.htm
	The UK contributes 17 per cent. of the EU budget for the CFSP, Germany contributes 19.7 per cent. and France 16 per cent..
	In 2007 the total budget for the CFSP was €159.2 million—at 17 per cent. the UK's contribution represents €27 million (£20 million).
	For 2008 the budget for the CFSP has been set at €285 million—at 17 per cent. the UK's contribution represents €48.5 million (£35.9 million). This increase is due, in part, to the establishment of a large civilian crisis management mission in Kosovo.
	The 2009 budget for the CFSP has not yet been set but €1.74 billion (£1.29 billion) has been allocated from the European Commission Budget under the current financial perspective for expenditure on the CFSP between 2007 and 2013. This was agreed at the European Council on 15-16 December 2005 during the UK's presidency of the EU. Details are available online at:
	http://www.eu2005.gov.uk/servlet/Front?pagename=Open Market/Xcelerate/ShowPage&c=Page&cid=1107293391098&a=Karticle&aid=1115135402893

Falkland Islands: Oil

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment the Government have made of the potential contribution of oil and gas from Falkland Islands waters to the provision of energy in the UK; and whether it is taking steps to support such exploration.

Kim Howells: While oil companies have produced promising seismic data surveys, only further exploratory drilling will enable us to arrive at a dependable estimate on the size of the reserves of oil and gas in Falkland Islands waters. It is therefore not possible to currently assess any potential reserves.
	The Government remain committed to the offshore prospecting policy pursued by the Falkland Islands Government.

Foreign Relations

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the state of relations between the UK and the Governments of  (a) Gibraltar,  (b) the Falklands,  (c) the British Virgin Islands,  (d) the Cayman Islands and  (e) the Turks and Caicos Islands.

Meg Munn: Relations between the UK and the Governments of Gibraltar, the Falkland Islands, the British Virgin Islands, the Cayman Islands and the Turks and Caicos Islands are generally very good.
	On 4 to 5 December 2007 elected leaders from the Falkland Islands, the British Virgin Islands, the Cayman Islands and the Turks and Caicos Islands and a number of other Overseas Territories attended the ninth Overseas Territories Consultative Council in London which I chaired. The council held discussions on issues which included constitutional modernisation, human rights, criminal justice and disaster preparedness.
	I visited the Cayman Islands on 13 to 14 December 2007 where I met members of Cabinet and the Legislative Assembly, and took part in discussions on a wide range of issues. I also visited the Falkland Islands from 3 to 5 January and met a wide range of people from government, business and civil society.
	In June 2007 a new constitution came into force in the British Virgin Islands. The new constitution is an important step forward for the territory and includes provisions devolving significant powers to the British Virgin Islands Government.
	In January 2007 the new Gibraltar constitution came into force which followed the people of Gibraltar's decision to accept the constitution in a referendum in 2006. The new constitution provides for a modern relationship between Gibraltar and the UK. We also work closely with Gibraltar in relation to matters associated with the Trilateral Forum of Dialogue on Gibraltar.

Honours

Greg Pope: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many members of the senior civil service in his Department have received an honour.

Meg Munn: The following awards were made to members of the senior civil service in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office on the diplomatic service and overseas honours list over the last five years:
	
		
			   Awards 
			  New year 2008  
			 GCMG 1 
			 D/KCMG 2 
			 KBE 1 
			 CB 1 
			 CMG 5 
			 (1)—  
			   
			  Birthday 2007  
			 GCMG 1 
			 KCMG 2 
			 CMG 7 
			   
			  New year 2007  
			 KCMG 2 
			 CB 1 
			 CMG 7 
			   
			  Birthday 2006  
			 GCMG 1 
			 D/KCMG 2 
			 CMG 6 
			   
			  New year 2006  
			 KCMG 2 
			 CB 1 
			 CMG 5 
			 (2)—  
			   
			  Birthday 2005  
			 KCMG 2 
			 CMG 5 
			 OBE 2 
			  New year 2005  
			 KCMG 2 
			 Knight Bachelor 1 
			 CMG 6 
			 CBE 1 
			 (3)—  
			   
			  Birthday 2004  
			 GCMG 1 
			 KCMG 1 
			 CMG 6 
			 OBE 2 
			 (4)—  
			   
			  New year 2004  
			 KCMG 2 
			 CB 1 
			 CMG 7 
			   
			  Birthday 2003  
			 GCMG 1 
			 KCMG 1 
			 CMG 5 
			 CBE 1 
			 (5)—  
			   
			  New year 2003  
			 GCMG 1 
			 KCMG 4 
			 CMG 5 
			 KBE 1 
			 CBE 1 
			 OBE 1 
			 (1) New year 2008: In addition, one member of the British Council was awarded a CMG. (2) New year 2006: In addition, one member of the British Council was awarded a CMG. (3) New year 2005: In addition, one member of the British Council was awarded a CMG. (4) Birthday 2004: In addition, two members of the British Council were awarded a KCMG and CMG. (5) Birthday 2003: In addition, one member of the British Council was awarded a CMG.  Note: List of acronyms Companion of the Order of the Bath (CB) Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George (CMG) Dame/Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George (D/KCMG) Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire (KBE) Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George (KCMG) Knight or Dame Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George (GCMG) Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) 
		
	
	To collate information for earlier years would incur disproportionate cost.

Iran: Racial Discrimination

John Cummings: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the Iranian Government on the persecution of Jewish people in that country; and if he will make a statement.

Kim Howells: holding answer 28 February 2008
	Judaism is one of the three minority religions officially recognised under the Iranian Constitution. While we do have general concerns about freedom of religion and belief in Iran, we understand that the Jewish community has relatively good relations with the wider Muslim community in Iran. The Iranian Jewish community does face some institutional discrimination, but we do not believe that the community faces systematic persecution. We continue to monitor the situation closely and officials in Tehran and London regularly meet representatives of the Jewish community to discuss the situation of Jewish people in Iran. In December 2007 the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution about human rights in Iran. The resolution, which was co-sponsored by the UK and all other EU member states, acknowledged and expressed concern at the situation of religious and ethnic minorities in Iran. We will continue to make clear to the Iranian authorities that persecution of individuals on the grounds of their religious beliefs is unacceptable and contrary to Iran's international human rights obligations, and that the rights of Iran's religious minorities should be equal to those of all Iranian citizens.

Iraq: Weapons

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which individuals made which annotations on the hard copy of the John Williams draft of the 2002 Iraq dossier.

David Miliband: holding  answer of 22 February 2008
	We do not know who authored the annotations, and hold no record on this.

Israel: Foreign Relations

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with  (a) Ministers and  (b) officials from other Government departments about British relations with Israel; and if he will make a statement.

Kim Howells: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary discusses a wide range of foreign policy issues, including our relations with Israel, with representatives from other Government Departments in order to make progress on the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's strategic objectives.

Israel: Overseas Residence

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many British citizens  (a) visited and  (b) emigrated to Israel in each year since 2000.

Kim Howells: The Government do not hold the information requested by the hon. Member.
	However, the best estimate of the Israeli Bureau of Statistics is that between 120,000 and 150,000 British citizens have visited Israel in each year since 2000.
	The Jewish Immigration Agency in Israel has provided the following estimated figures for British citizens emigrating to Israel:
	
		
			   Number 
			 2000 404 
			 2001 360 
			 2002 295 
			 2003 380 
			 2004 399 
			 2005 487 
			 2006 659 
			 2007 625

Israel: Politics and Government

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether it is the policy of the Government to refuse to recognise Hamas as long as it retains its intent to destroy Israel; and if he will make a statement.

Kim Howells: We continue to call upon Hamas to adhere to the Quartet's principles: non-violence; recognition of Israel; and acceptance of previous agreements. These remain the conditions for a viable peace process. Dialogue with Hamas is impossible so long as it is committed to violence towards Israel. Both Palestinian President Abbas and Prime Minister Olmert are committed to peaceful progress towards a two-state solution. We use our efforts to support them.

Kenya: EU Aid

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has held with his EU counterparts on EU aid to Kenya in light of the political unrest there; and if he will make a statement.

David Miliband: holding answer 28 February 2008
	I have had full discussions with my European counterparts about the EU's engagement with Kenya, including at the EU General Affairs and External Relations Council on 28 January and 18 February.
	Until the country's political leaders agree to resolve the crisis, EU member states and the European Commission cannot conduct business as usual with Kenya. Failure to agree a sustainable and consensual political situation would affect our, and other EU donors' engagement with Kenya.

Libya: UN World Conference Against Racism

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to Libya on the preparatory meetings of the 2009 UN World Conference Against Racism taking place on Jewish holidays.

Meg Munn: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has made no representations to the Libyan chair of the Durban Review Conference preparatory committee.
	The Government agree that the timing of the preparatory committee is unfortunate, given that it coincides with important Jewish holidays.
	The Preparatory Committee Bureau decided the dates from a small number of available slots suggested by UN officials. The UK does not sit on the bureau. Colleagues from other member states that sit on the bureau assured us that there was no malicious intent when selecting these dates.

Middle East: Armed Conflict

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions  (a) he,  (b) Ministers in his Department and  (c) officials in his Department have had with the (i) Government of Israel and (ii) Arab states on rocket attacks on Israel from Gaza; and if he will make a statement.

Kim Howells: The UK is deeply concerned by rocket attacks against Israeli citizens from Gaza. Since Hamas seized control of Gaza, over 2,400 mortars and rockets have been fired into Israel. The launching of rockets against Israeli civilian targets and all forms of violence must stop. Violence serves only to undermine the prospects for peace in the region.
	My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has regular discussions on the security situation in Gaza. He discussed this issue most recently with Egyptian Foreign Minister Aboul Gheit on 19 February, with Jordanian Foreign Minister Salah Bashr on 13 February, with the Israeli ambassador to London on 29 January and with Israeli Foreign Minister Livni on 24 January. I also met the Israeli ambassador on 17 January and discussed this issue. Our embassy in Tel Aviv and our consulate in Jerusalem regularly meet with Israeli and Palestinian interlocutors to discuss Gaza security.

Middle East: Armed Conflict

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many British citizens were  (a) killed,  (b) seriously injured and  (c) injured in rocket attacks on Israel from (i) Gaza and (ii) the Lebanon in each month since 2005.

Kim Howells: There have been no deaths or injuries to British nationals reported to our embassy in Tel Aviv that were attributed to rocket attacks from either Gaza or Lebanon since 2005.

Nuclear Weapons

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 18 February 2008,  Official Report, column 177W, on nuclear weapons, which countries were unable to agree in 2007 to the start of negotiations on a fissile material cut off treaty.

David Miliband: holding answer 28 February 2008
	No member state at the Conference on Disarmament has objected in principle to a fissile material cut off treaty. During the 2007 Conference on Disarmament, a majority of states endorsed commencement of negotiations. China, Iran and Pakistan expressed reservations. The UK continues to support the proposal and is working hard to secure consensus for its adoption in 2008.

Romania: EU External Relations

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the preparedness of  (a) Romania and  (b) Bulgaria to implement EU legislation, with particular regard to social security provisions and the acceptance of contributions from nationals of other EU states; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Murphy: In order to join the EU, Bulgaria and Romania fulfilled the criteria of accession agreed by the European Council in Copenhagen in 1993. The 'Copenhagen Criteria' include the adoption of the "acquis communautaire" (the entire body of European legislation). No assessments have been done by HM Revenue and Customs or the Department for Work and Pensions on the implementation of social security provisions or contributions from nationals of other EU member states for Bulgaria and Romania.

Romania: EU External Relations

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many  (a) private sector,  (b) public sector and  (c) private/public sector partnership projects have been approved for EU structural funding for (i) Romania and (ii) Bulgaria; and at what cost for each project.

Jim Murphy: No projects have yet been approved and financed for EU structural funding in Bulgaria and Romania. Further information on EU structural funds can be found on the European Commission website at:
	http://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/index_en.htm.

Romania: EU External Relations

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received on reforms of the judicial system in Romania, with particular reference to  (a) the Sunshine Law and the 30-day consultation period,  (b) combating corruption,  (c) changes to the fiscal code and  (d) implementing systems to enable successful bidding for EU structural funds; what assistance the Government have provided to the Romanian Government on such reforms; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Murphy: This month the European Commission issued its interim report on Romania's progress against the post-accession Justice and Home Affairs benchmarks. The Report concluded that progress has been made on the fight against corruption, but that work remains to be done. A copy of the report is available at:
	http://ec.europa.eu/dgs/secretariat_general/cvm/docs/romania _report_20080201_en.pdf.
	A fuller report will be issued in June 2008.
	Our embassy in Bucharest reports regularly on judicial reform in Romania. The 'Sunshine Law' refers to the 2003 Romanian Law 52 'Decision-Making Transparency in Public Administration'. This requires that all draft legislation be submitted to the public for consultation and comment prior to passage and publication. This law is key to the integrity of public administration in Romania.
	In October 2007, following the European Commission's monitoring mechanism report, the Romanian Government adopted an anti-corruption action plan covering judicial reform and the fight against corruption. In order to monitor the measures imposed by the action plan, two inter-institutional bodies have been created, which are presided over by the Minister of Justice.
	Changes to the fiscal code were made in 2006. The fiscal code has no implication on the judicial system.
	The UK provided Romania with practical assistance to support the reforms needed for EU membership including reform of the judicial system and enabling successful bidding for structural funds. This assistance has amounted to an average of £630,000 per annum of direct bilateral assistance for the previous four years. Under the EU's Twinning programme, experts from EU member states are seconded as advisers to Romanian institutions and Government Departments. Currently two UK experts are based in Romania advising on how to manage efficiently the absorption of structural funds and in strengthening the probation service.

Romania: Official Visits

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he or any of his predecessors last visited Romania, other than for EU or NATO conferences; and whether he plans to make any such visit.

Jim Murphy: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary visited Romania in early September 2007. While there he called on President Traian Basescu, Prime Minister Calin Popescu-Tariceanu and Foreign Minister Adrian Cioroianu.

Serbia: EU external relations

Michael Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 29 January 2008,  Official Report, columns 223-4W on Serbia: EU external relations, what recommendations the EU Task Force has made; whether Serbia signed the interim political agreement with the European Union; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Murphy: The EU Task Force features as part of the interim political agreement with Serbia, drawn up by the EU following the General Affairs and External Relations Council on 28 January. Serbia has not yet signed this agreement. The task force has not met, nor made any recommendations.

Simon Mann

Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will request the US authorities to make further visits to Simon Mann in Black Beach Prison on a frequent and regular basis in the absence of a permanent UK presence in Malabo.

Kim Howells: UK consular staff from our deputy high commission in Lagos are providing consular assistance to Mr. Mann. There are currently no plans to request the US authorities to visit him but we intend to raise this with the US authorities.

Simon Mann

Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent reports he has received on the medical treatment being provided to Simon Mann in Malabo for his hernia.

Kim Howells: We have raised specific consular and welfare concerns regarding Mr. Mann with the Equatorial Guinean authorities and we will follow those up.

Simon Mann

Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 18 February 2008,  Official Report, column 179W, on Simon Mann, what reasons he has been given by the Equatorial Guinean embassy for the 24-hour shackling of Simon Mann in custody.

Kim Howells: We have been given no reasons by the Equatorial Guinean authorities on this point and are seeking an explanation.

UN World Conference Against Racism

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what criteria he will use in determining whether the UK will participate in the 2009 UN World Conference Against Racism.

Meg Munn: We want the 2009 Durban Review Conference to contribute to the global fight against racism today. We, and EU partners, are working to achieve this, but it has proven to be a difficult process. Attempts by other blocs of countries to undo agreements and decisions, or expand the remit of the conference beyond a review of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action have not contributed to a consensual approach.
	We will continue to work closely with EU colleagues on the Durban Review Conference and will keep our position under review as the process moves forward.

UN World Conference Against Racism

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what proposals the Government have made on the agenda for the 2009 UN World Conference Against Racism.

Meg Munn: The agenda for the 2009 UN World Conference Against Racism has not yet been discussed in detail. We want the Durban Review Conference to assess how states have implemented the 2001 Durban Declaration and Programme of Action. There is pressure to include issues not covered by the 2001 document, which we are resisting.

UN World Conference Against Racism

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the UN on the inclusion of Holocaust education on the agenda for the 2009 UN World Conference Against Racism.

Meg Munn: The agenda for the 2009 UN World Conference Against Racism has not yet been discussed in detail. The Government take work on Holocaust education and remembrance very seriously. Article 58 of the Durban Declaration made clear that the Holocaust must not be forgotten. We will seek opportunities with our EU partners to give Holocaust education and remembrance appropriate attention as negotiations continue.

Weapons: Proliferation

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment his Department has made of the reasons for the failure of the 2005 Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference to agree a final document.

David Miliband: holding answer 28 February 2008
	The UK worked hard to achieve an agreed final document at the 2005 Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) Review Conference. In a multilateral forum, reliant on consensus, extended procedural delays can prejudice a substantive outcome even when the majority of states present are committed to achieving real advances. Regrettably, in 2005 a delay often days to agree the Review Conference agenda meant there was not enough time to negotiate a substantive final document. UK policy and priorities for the 2010 NPT review cycle are set out in the reply I gave to the right hon. Member on 18 February 2008,  Official Report, column 176W.

Zimbabwe

Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the oral answer of 19 February 2008,  Official Report, column 140, on Zimbabwe, when he plans to turn to the role of the Government of Zimbabwe in the case of Mr. Simon Mann; for what reason a formal protest has not been made to that Government in relation to the removal of Mr. Mann to Equatorial Guinea from Zimbabwe; and what assessment he has made of the likely inferences to be drawn by the authorities in Equatorial Guinea in relation to the absence of such protest.

Kim Howells: We have clearly noted our concern via diplomatic note to the Zimbabwean authorities about the circumstances of Mr. Mann's removal from Zimbabwe, which occurred before his legal appeals were exhausted.

COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Community Relations

Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when her Department plans to  (a) launch the single portal for cohesion guidance and  (b) publish the cohesion contingency planning guidance referred to in the Government's response to the Commission on Integration and Cohesion.

Parmjit Dhanda: We are currently in discussion with the Institute for Community Cohesion on plans to develop a single portal for cohesion guidance. We expect the portal to be launched in the summer.
	We expect to publish guidance for local authorities on cohesion contingency planning shortly.

Conditions of Employment: Parking

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Bromley of 31 January 2008,  Official Report, column 669W, on conditions of employment: parking, whether the payment by an employer of the workplace parking tax in a local authority area which levies the tax on workplace parking spaces, would be classed as a taxable benefit in kind by HM Revenue and Customs.

Jane Kennedy: I have been asked to reply.
	There is an exemption from tax for the benefit of workplace parking at or near their workplace provided by employers to their employees. It is therefore highly unlikely that a tax charge would arise where an employer pays a workplace parking tax.

First Time Buyers

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps the Government have taken to increase the number of first-time buyers entering the property market.

Iain Wright: The Government are committed to tackling the problems of housing affordability and last year announced plans to raise annual housing supply to 240,000 additional homes a year by 2016. The Housing Green Paper published in July 2007 "Homes for the future: more affordable, more sustainable" sets out further details of our proposals for delivery of those homes, to widen access to home ownership and help more first-time buyers purchase a home.
	Through increasing the overall housing supply, the Government aim to address affordability issues, and the problems they can cause for aspiring first-time buyers, over the longer term. In the meantime, our low- cost home ownership programme, enables social tenants, key workers and other priority first-time buyers to get a first step on the housing ladder.
	Since 1997, we have helped over 95,000 households into home ownership through shared ownership and shared equity loan schemes. We have also helped over 26,000 key workers into a home since 2001.
	The HomeBuy scheme introduced in April 2006 includes three products: Open Market HomeBuy (shared equity), New Build HomeBuy (shared ownership) and Social HomeBuy. The First Time Buyers' Initiative scheme run by English Partnerships, the national regeneration agency, is part of the New Build product. These schemes help purchasers get on to the housing ladder with shares from 25 per cent.
	Between 2006-08 we are investing £970 million through the National Affordable Housing programme to help 35,000 households into low-cost home ownership properties. The Housing Corporation announced its new programme on 26 February and will be funding at least 25,000 low-cost home ownership homes a year from 2008-09 to 2011.

Heating: Environment Protection

David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what discussions officials in her Department have had with counterparts in the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs in advance of the forthcoming meeting of the Consulting Forum under the Ecodesign of Energy-using Products Directive on requirements for boilers and water heaters.

Iain Wright: holding answer 25 February 2008
	Communities and Local Government officials are in ongoing discussions about the Energy-using Products Directive with their opposite numbers in the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

Heating: Standards

Jeremy Browne: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 23 January 2008,  Official Report, column 2047W, on heating: standards, what meetings she has had with  (a) the Health and Safety Executive and  (b) industry organisations to discuss possible alterations to the (i) industry guidance and (ii) legal provisions governing hot water systems in homes; what the outcome of those meetings was; and if she will make a statement.

Iain Wright: I will be meeting with Judith Hackitt, chair of the Health and Safety Commission, to discuss how we can further strengthen our working relationship. Officials have already met with officials from the HSE and as a result the HSE and the Department will jointly re-issue the HSE safety alert with advice on the causes and risk factors in accidents involving hot water systems to social housing providers.
	Following the incident leading to Rhianna Hardie's death my officials worked with the Institute of Plumbing and Heating Engineering (IPHE) to develop a revised version of their information sheet on the safety of water heaters. This was published in April 2007.
	Since announcing a review of part G of the building regulations last year, the IPHE and other trade organisations covering installation of hot water and heating systems have been working with officials in CLG to prepare new technical guidance to support more robust regulatory requirements for hot water systems. We will be consulting these proposed changes in April 2008.

Immigrants: Information Services

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when she expects the first information packs for newcomers to the UK to be published by local authorities; and what funding her Department is providing for production of such packs.

Parmjit Dhanda: Some local authorities have already published migrant information packs and the Improvement and Development Agency (IDeA) used the best examples from these packs to provide best practice examples for the migrant information pack template which was published on the IDeA website on 4 February. This new resource will save local authorities money by providing a generic information framework that can be supplemented with local information. Communities and Local Government has no plans to provide additional funding for this work.

Landfill Tax: Hertfordshire

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment she has made of the effects of increases in landfill tax on the funding of public services in  (a) St. Albans and  (b) Hertfordshire.

Angela Eagle: I have been asked to reply.
	The costs of landfill tax, including the increase in the landfill tax escalator, were taken into account when agreeing the local government settlement.

Local Government Finance

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the value of  (a) council tax receipts and  (b) central Government grant was for local authorities in each county in the east of England region in each of the last 10 years.

John Healey: Details of the levels of council tax requirement and central Government funding to local authorities in each county in the east of England region in each of the last 10 years are shown in the following tables.
	
		
			  Council tax requirement 
			  £ million 
			   1997-98  1998-99  1999-2000  2000-01  2001-02  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07 
			 Bedfordshire 129.9 140.0 153.3 164.7 176.3 197.0 219.6 239.6 253.3 267.9 
			 Cambridgeshire 131.3 152.3 172.1 188.9 204.8 232.2 258.7 284.1 301.5 319.6 
			 Essex 358.1 414.8 446.8 487.6 528.9 582.1 679.9 691.2 722.3 761.4 
			 Hertfordshire 249.5 280.5 307.5 333.6 357.3 394.0 464.6 496.1 523.6 555.0 
			 Norfolk 159.8 184.7 206.1 222.4 240.4 268.8 312.6 339.1 353.2 373.3 
			 Suffolk 143.2 157.3 171.2 185.6 201.1 228.1 273.1 291.2 302.9 319.8 
			 Total 1,171.7 1,329.6 1,456.9 1,582.7 1,708.8 1,902.2 2,208.5 2,341.3 2,456.8 2,596.9 
		
	
	Local authority council tax requirement is the council tax available to finance revenue expenditure, not council tax collected.
	
		
			  Central Government grants 
			  £ million 
			   1997-98  1998-99  1999-00  2000-01  2001-02  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07 
			 Bedfordshire 377.1 399.4 417.7 454.1 490.3 507.4 578.3 615.8 673.0 728.8 
			 Cambridgeshire 406.8 440.0 464.7 502.9 534.4 564.3 634.8 670.2 753.2 803.7 
			 Essex 954.1 1,032.4 1,094.7 1,188.3 1,282.7 1,366.1 1,511.1 1,571.6 1,673.8 1,724.1 
			 Hertfordshire 617.7 649.8 678.0 748.5 810.6 824.5 909.6 977.8 1,016.6 1,068.5 
			 Norfolk 473.9 487.0 518.1 560.8 605.2 640.6 713.4 756.5 809.7 866.8 
			 Suffolk 394.0 410.8 433.6 467.4 503.0 516.7 589.0 630.1 667.6 693.7 
			 Total 3,223.8 3,419.4 3,606.8 3,922.0 4,226.2 4,419.5 4,936.1 5,222.0 5,593.8 5,885.6 
		
	
	Central Government funding is defined here as the sum of formula grant (revenue support grant, redistributed non-domestic rates and police grant) and specific grants inside aggregate external finance (AEF), i.e. revenue grants paid for council's core services. In past years, where applicable the standard spending assessment reduction grant and central support protection grants have also been included.
	Figures exclude grants outside AEF (i.e. where funding is not for authorities' core services, but is passed to a third party, for example, rent allowances and rebates), capital grants, funding for the local authorities' housing management responsibilities and those grant programmes (such as European funding) where authorities are simply one of the recipients of funding paid towards an area.
	These figures are sourced from Communities and Local Government revenue outturn (RO) returns.
	Comparisons across years may not be valid owing to changing local authority responsibilities.

Local Government Finance

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many times her Department and its predecessors paid money to what was later found to be the incorrect local governmental body in each year since 1997; and what the total value of such incorrect payments is.

John Healey: Our systems do not separately identify adjustments to payments which arose because money was originally paid to an incorrect local government body. The regularity of payments made by the Department and its predecessors are subject to audit arrangements and these have not identified any systemic weaknesses or recurring problems in relation to correct payees. We would seek recovery of any incorrect payments, in line with "Managing Public Money"—the Treasury guidance (replacing "Government Accounting") which sets out principles and standards for Government Departments on managing public resources—and would look to address the problem quickly if errors were brought to light.

Local Government: Consent Regimes

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Brentwood and Ongar of 31 January 2008,  Official Report, column 586W, on local government: consent regimes, what the role of the Government Office for the Regions is in exercising the statutory functions in relation to  (a) the Green Belt Act 1938,  (b) redundant churches and  (c) revocation orders.

Parmjit Dhanda: The Government Office network considers referrals under the Green Belt (London and Home Counties) Act 1938 and Revocation Orders on behalf on the Secretary of State. Government Offices also consider referrals made where the proposed demolition of a listed church or an unlisted church in a conservation area is contested by a qualifying body.

Non-Domestic Rates

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Brentwood and Ongar of 31 January 2008,  Official Report, columns 586-7W, on non-domestic rates, 
	(1)  for what reason transitional relief will not apply to supplementary business rates; and for what reason the decision was previously taken by her Department not to apply relief to business improvement districts following the rates revaluation;
	(2)  whether any impact assessment or research has quantified the marginal increase in taxation on an individual business which would be otherwise eligible for transitional relief on the main multiplier as a consequence of transitional relief not being applied to supplementary business rates.

John Healey: Transitional relief is designed specifically to cushion the impact on ratepayers' bills of significant increases and decreases in rateable value following the five-yearly revaluation of non-domestic properties. BID levies and business rate supplements are entirely separate from the revaluation of business rates and are therefore outside its scope.

Non-Domestic Rates: Valuation

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether the Valuation Office Agency has established the proposed property attributes that will form the basis of the regression analysis in its automated valuation process for the forthcoming non-domestic rating revaluation.

John Healey: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Brentwood and Ongar (Mr. Pickles) on 17 December 2007,  Official Report, column 1154W.

Regional Planning and Development: Finance

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much funding regional planning bodies will receive from housing and planning delivery grant; and what targets they will be required to meet to maximise their funding.

John Healey: All funding for Regional Assemblies from 2008-09 will be from a single funding stream; they will not receive housing and planning delivery grant.
	Regional Assemblies are required to prepare a business plan as a condition of their receipt of Government grant, to provide assurance that funds are spent efficiently and in furtherance of the aims for which funding is granted. Performance against business plans will be monitored quarterly.

Thermal Insulation: Materials

Robert Goodwill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  what assessment her Department has made of appropriate tests for the performance of multi-foil insulation materials other than the hot box;
	(2)  what assessment her Department has made of the  (a) practical and  (b) environmental merits of multi-foil insulation materials;
	(3)  how she plans to comply with the High Court judgment of 2 November 2007 on standards for multi-foil insulation material used in construction.

Iain Wright: holding answer 22 February 2008
	The Government's position on tests of the performance of multi-foil insulation products and their proposals for complying with the High Court judgment of 2 November 2007 are explained in Communities and Local Government Circular 6/2007 and the parallel letter to local authorities and approved building control inspectors which were issued on 7 December 2007. These can be found on the CLG website at:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/corporate/
	The Department does not assess the practical and environmental merits of particular types of insulation materials, as building regulations and guidance do not make specific requirements for such materials. When issuing approved guidance on achieving compliance with the building regulations' energy efficiency requirements for construction work, it relies upon internationally recognised generic insulation performance values for construction materials and a wide range of expert advice on how these materials can be practically assembled into construction elements such as walls, roofs etc.

Written Questions: Government Responses

Jeremy Browne: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when she will answer Question 178902 tabled by the hon. Member for Taunton on 28 January 2008 on heating: standards; and what the reasons are for the length of time taken to reply.

Iain Wright: I have now replied to the hon. Member's question. I apologise for the delay in responding.

Written Questions: Government Responses

Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, the hon. Member for Gloucester, will reply to the letter of 11 January 2008 from the hon. Member for Wycombe on funding arrangements for prevention of violent extremism projects between March and June 2008.

Parmjit Dhanda: I have now replied to the hon. Member's letter.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Alcoholic Drinks: Licensing

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what recent discussions he has had on changes to licensing hours for on- and off-licensed premises; and if he will make a statement.

Gerry Sutcliffe: I and my predecessors have had discussions with many other Government Departments, local authorities, voluntary groups and representatives of businesses as part of the process of policy development. The discussions have mainly concerned the impact of the Licensing Act 2003, which came into force in November 2005.

Departmental Home Working

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many people in his Department have been authorised to work from home in the last 12 months.

Gerry Sutcliffe: As DCMS is an equal opportunities employer we have extended the option to work flexibly to all our staff. We aim to support staff in balancing their work and home responsibilities, and home working is one of a range of flexible working patterns available to staff, which includes
	Flexible working hours (formal and informal flexi, compressed hours, term-time working and annualised hours)
	Part-time working or job sharing
	Home working
	In the last 12 months DCMS has authorised 44 people to work from home. However, the Department also supports and encourages the more informal home-working arrangements in which staff may have agreed to work from home on an occasional ad-hoc basis. We do not keep records of the dates when each case was authorised.

Drinking Water

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much his Department spent on bottled water in the latest year for which figures are available.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The Department spent £30,974.95 on bottled water during the period April 2006 to March 2007.

Fairtrade Initiative

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will take steps to promote Fair Trade Fortnight 2008 among staff within his Department; and if he will make a statement.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The Department for Culture, Media and Sport provides tea and coffee for all official meetings from Fairtrade sources; Fairtrade confectionery is always on sale in the staff canteen. These are available all year rather than being confined to a short-term promotion exercise.

Football Foundation: Finance

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much public funding was provided to the Football Foundation in each of the last three years.

Gerry Sutcliffe: A total of £46.2 million of public funding was awarded to the Football Foundation via Sport England in the last three years.
	2005-06: £4.2 million lottery (capital)
	2006-07: £20 million exchequer (capital), £1 million exchequer (revenue), £2.5 million lottery (revenue)
	2007-08: £15 million exchequer (capital), £1 million exchequer (revenue), £2.5 million lottery (revenue)
	The funding was made as part of Government's community sports strategy, investing in both football and multisport facilities.

National Lottery: Sports

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much lottery funding was provided to  (a) athletics and  (b) swimming in (i) Southend, (ii) Essex, (iii) the London region and (iv) England and Wales in each year since 1997; what projects were funded; whether there are restrictions on the use of these funds; and if he will make a statement.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Financial support for community sport from public sources is primarily channelled through Sport England which dispenses Exchequer and lottery funds for sport. The tables show how much lottery funding has been allocated through Sport England to  (a) athletics and  (b) swimming in (i) Southend, (ii) Essex, (iii) London region and (iv) England. Funding for Sport in Wales is distributed by the Sport Council for Wales and does not receive an allocation from DCMS.
	
		
			  £ 
			   Athletics  Swimming 
			  Southend   
			 1997-98 0 0 
			 1998-99 0 0 
			 1999-2000 0 0 
			 2000-01 0 0 
			 2001-02 0 0 
			 2002-03 0 0 
			 2003-04 0 0 
			 2004-05 0 0 
			 2005-06 0 0 
			 2006-07 0 0 
			 2007-08 0 0 
			
			  Essex   
			 1997-98 0 0 
			 1998-99 0 0 
			 1999-2000 0 6,210,923 
			 2000-01 0 0 
			 2001-02 3,215,102 86,883 
			 2002-03 0 0 
			 2003-04 333,860 2,083,274 
			 2004-05 80,000 0 
			 2005-06 80,000 0 
			 2006-07 0 0 
			 2007-08 0 0 
			
			  London   
			 1997-98 0 13,825,861 
			 1998-99 1,066,000 13,554,609 
			 1999-2000 161,442 6,604,153 
			 2000-01 2,327,000 750,000 
			 2001-02 4,098,940 3,027,328 
			 2002-03 76,555 20,475 
			 2003-04 940,466 1,675,000 
			 2004-05 10,179,788 6,983,500 
			 2005-06 777,302 187,530 
			 2006-07 694,996 693,000 
			 2007-08 2,492,143 0 
			
			  England   
			 1997-98 2,249,274 55,700,872 
			 1998-99 4,834,537 56,082,875 
			 1999-2000 7,136,025 25,154,681 
			 2000-01 21,489,967 22,192,764 
			 2001-02 14,009,026 29,920,415 
			 2002-03 10,323,192 36,331,316 
			 2003-04 8,943,759 21,561,774 
			 2004-05 16,750,978 18,987,199 
			 2005-06 5,786,742 11,801,663 
			 2006-07 6,567,809 6,640,736 
			 2007-08 10,086,870 6,138,632 
		
	
	In terms of restrictions on the use of funding, these have been consistently in line with lottery policy and each application for funding assessed on its individual merits. Further to this there will have been ad hoc support via the County Sports Partnerships, School Sport Partnerships and local authority sports development officers and while this support is hard to evidence and categorise there will have been benefits to amateur sports clubs from the professional work force.
	I will place a summary of projects in Essex, London region and England that have benefited from funding in the Libraries of both Houses.

Sports

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what estimate he has made of the number of people who engaged in at least 30 minutes of moderate intensity level sport at least three times a week in  (a) 2005-06 and  (b) 2006-07, broken down by region.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Data from the DCMS' Taking Part survey show the number of people who participated in moderate intensity level sport at least three times a week. The table sets out the data by region.
	The moderate intensity level sport indicator is defined as participation in moderate intensity level sport for at least 30 minutes on at least three separate days during the past week.
	
		
			  Moderate intensity, 3 x 30 minutes per week 
			  Percentage 
			  Region  2005-06  2006-07 
			 North East 21 23 
			 North West 19 20 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 21 22 
			 East Midlands 20 21 
			 West Midlands 20 20 
			 East of England 22 23 
			 London 21 20 
			 South East 21 22 
			 South West 23 24 
			 England 21 22

Sports

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport pursuant to the answer of 18 February 2008,  Official Report, columns 333-4W, on sports, 
	(1)  how many people each percentage figure in the tables represents;
	(2)  how many people each percentage figure in the tables represents.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Pursuant to the answer of 18 February 2008,  Official Report, column 335W, the tables show how many people each percentage figure represents, rounded to the nearest 10,000. The data are taken from the DCMS Taking Part survey.
	The moderate level intensity sport indicator is defined as participation in moderate intensity level sport for at least 30 minutes on three separate days during the past week.
	
		
			  Moderate intensity, 3 x 30 
			   2005-06  2006-07 
			   Percentage  Number (Thousand )  Percentage  Number (Thousand ) 
			 Black and minority ethnic 19.2 720 19.6 760 
			 Limiting disability 9.5 790 9.4 780 
			 Lower socio-economic 15.2 2,310 15.3 2,410 
			 Women 18.5 3,640 18.3 3,680 
			 All Adults 20.9 7,950 21.5 8,430 
		
	
	The active sport indicator is defined as at least one occasion of participation in an active sport during the past four weeks.
	
		
			  Active sport, 12 x a year 
			   2005-06  2006-07 
			   Percentage  Number (Thousand )  Percentage  Number (Thousand ) 
			 Black and minority ethnic 53.3 2,090 51.9 2,040 
			 Limiting disability 32.3 2,760 31.2 2,650 
			 Lower socio-economic 43.4 6,840 42.2 6,720 
			 Women 47.7 9,800 46.2 9,480 
			 All Adults 53.7 21,330 53.4 21,310

Sports: Lancashire

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will collect data on Community Club Development Programme funding allocated to sports clubs in West Lancashire constituency.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The Community Club Development Programme (CCDP) is administered on Government's behalf by Sport England. Sport England does not collect data about CCDP in the format requested.
	Sport England allocates funding to 19 National Governing Bodies for Sport (NGBs) to identify and deliver capital sports facilities projects. Data about CCDP are not collected from the NGBs below county level.

Swimming: Southend on Sea

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what plans he has to encourage participation in swimming in Southend; how much his Department spent to promote swimming in each year since 1997; and if he will make a statement.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Financial support for community sport from public sources is primarily channelled through Sport England which dispenses Exchequer and lottery funds for sport. Sport England advises that to date no funds have been allocated directly to swimming in Southend and that there has not been a Sport England funded promotional campaign for swimming in Southend. In addition Sport England does not collect data on how much it spends promoting participation in specific sports.
	However over the period from 1997-98 to 2007-08, Sport England has invested significantly in swimming across England:
	
		
			   Exchequer( 1)  and lottery funding  (£) 
			 1997-98 55,700,872 
			 1998-99 56,082,875 
			 1999-2000 25,154,681 
			 2000-01 22,192,764 
			 2001-02 29,920,415 
			 2002-03 36,674,976 
			 2003-04 22,011,107 
			 2004-05 19,675,199 
			 2005-06 12,502,663 
			 2006-07 7,588,627 
			 2007-08 6,138,632 
			 (1) Exchequer funding figures are only available for the years 2002-03 to 2006-07 
		
	
	Furthermore there is a requirement for swimming provision through the PE and Sports Strategy for Young People. As this is delivered in curriculum time, the source of funding is the Department for Children, Schools and Families and not the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Animal Experiments

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what Government funds and resources have been allocated to research and development in finding an alternative to animal testing since 2001.

Ian Pearson: I have been asked to reply.
	Between 2001 and 2007-08 the Medical Research Council (MRC) and the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) provided £12,008,000 for research into the replacement, refinement and reduction of animals in research through response mode funding and strategic programmes. In addition, these Research Councils fund the National Centre for Replacement, Refinement and Reduction of Animals in Research (NCSRs), established in 2004. Between 2004-05 and 2007-08 the NCSRs has received £5,525,000 from the Research Councils as well as £660,000 from the Home Office. The two Research Councils will provide £12,804,000 to the NCSRs for the period 2008-09 to 2010-11.

Driving Offences: Mobile Phones

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many fixed notice fines were issued in each police force area for the illegal use of a mobile telephone whilst driving in each of the last four years.

Vernon Coaker: It became a specific offence to use a mobile phone while driving in December 2003. The following table gives the figures for 2003, 2004 and 2005, the latest available. The figures for 2006 will be available later in the year.
	
		
			  Fixed penalty notices issued( 1)  for the offence of use of hand held mobile phone while driving( 2)  by police force area, England and Wales, 2003-05 
			  Number of offences 
			   Fixed penalty notices issued 
			  Police force area  2003  2004  2005 
			 Avon and Somerset (3)— 1,902 2,502 
			 Bedfordshire 10 579 944 
			 Cambridgeshire (3)— 219 1,347 
			 Cheshire (3)— 2,689 2,891 
			 Cleveland 13 1,066 1,955 
			 Cumbria 13 528 1,021 
			 Derbyshire 13 978 1,501 
			 Devon and Cornwall 345 796 1,482 
			 Dorset (3)— 521 657 
			 Durham (3)— 504 963 
			 Essex (3)— 2,431 4,369 
			 Gloucestershire 147 632 1,208 
			 Greater Manchester (3)— 8,166 12,904 
			 Hampshire 54 2,032 4,078 
			 Hertfordshire (3)— 2,526 3,923 
			 Humberside (3)— 381 1,202 
			 Kent 15 1,707 4,829 
			 Lancashire 34 1,719 3,079 
			 Leicestershire 17 759 254 
			 Lincolnshire 7 1,529 2,514 
			 London, City of 45 137 1,647 
			 Merseyside (3)— 1,836 5,684 
			 Metropolitan police 681 13,581 18,035 
			 Norfolk 17 887 904 
			 Northamptonshire 1 297 971 
			 Northumbria 56 1,271 2,409 
			 North Yorkshire 5 720 1,289 
			 Nottinghamshire (3)— 653 1,637 
			 South Yorkshire 28 1,978 3,978 
			 Staffordshire 12 264 2,346 
			 Suffolk 42 978 1,707 
			 Surrey 164 2,213 3,575 
			 Sussex (3)— 546 1,105 
			 Thames Valley 25 3,716 7,111 
			 Warwickshire (3)— 621 918 
			 West Mercia (3)— 2,200 5,246 
			 West Midlands 144 3,864 5,065 
			 West Yorkshire (3)— 2,368 4,272 
			 Wiltshire (3)— 700 1,226 
			 Dyfed Powys (3)— 363 628 
			 Gwent (3)— 517 938 
			 North Wales (3)— 999 424 
			 South Wales (3)— 1,603 2,030 
			 England and Wales 1,888 73,976 126,768 
			 (1) Covers tickets paid where there is no further action. (2) Offences under the Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regulations 1986, Regulations 110 (1), 110 (2) and 110 (3). Introduced 1 December 2003. 3 Nil.  Note: Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.

Human Trafficking

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which the most common countries of origin are for people trafficked into the UK.

Vernon Coaker: Victims of human trafficking come from a range of countries. The top five countries of origin for referrals to the Poppy Project are Lithuania, Nigeria, Albania, Thailand and China.

Individual Support Orders

Ann Coffey: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  how many individual support orders attached to anti-social behaviour orders have been issued in each local authority area in each quarter since May 2004;
	(2)  how many individual support orders attached to anti-social behaviour orders have been given at magistrates courts in each magistrates court area in each quarter since May 2004;
	(3)  how much has been allocated to fund individual support orders (ISOs) in 2007-08; and how much of last year's £45 million increase in funding for the Youth Justice Board was spent on ISOs.

Vernon Coaker: holding answer 25 February 2008
	Individual support orders (ISOs) became available from 1 May 2004. Seven ISOs were issued to juveniles (defined as being aged 10 to 17) in 2004, as reported to the Home Office by the Court Service. 42 ISOs were issued to juveniles in 2005 (latest available). The data are not available to publish below the England and Wales level.
	In 2007-08 the Youth Justice Board invested £31.2 million in grants to Youth Offending Teams (YOTs) to run a range of targeted prevention programmes. This investment supports over 400 evidence-based programmes across England and Wales. All of these programmes are available to support young people involved in antisocial behaviour and crime in order to reduce their involvement, as part of a tiered approach that involves ISOs where appropriate. As part of the £31.2 million, approximately £458,000 was allocated more specifically to address the needs and risks presented by those involved in antisocial behaviour, some of whom will be subject to an ISO.

Internet: Departmental Responsibilities

Hugo Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the distribution of responsibilities is between Government Departments and agencies in relation to the regulation of the internet; and if she will make a statement.

Vernon Coaker: The Government work closely with the internet industry and law enforcement, through such mechanisms as the Home Secretary's Taskforce on Online Child Protection, to ensure that their internet services are not used for illegal or borderline legal activity. The Home Secretary's Taskforce includes representatives from other Government Departments.
	The E-Commerce Directive lays down requirements that apply in relation to the provision of services on the internet. The Department for Business Enterprise and Regulatory Reform is responsible for the E-Commerce Regulations 2002 which implemented the Directive in relation to legislation that predates the 2002 regulations. So far as legislation that postdates the 2002 Regulations is concerned, each Government Department is responsible for ensuring that its legislation complies with the Directive.

Internet: Regulation

Hugo Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much she has allocated to policing internet content for 2008-09; and if she will make a statement.

Vernon Coaker: The police do not police the internet per se; the Government have legislated to prosecute offences based on the crime committed and not the medium used. Internet content is subject to the Obscene Publications Act 1959 as is all published material.
	The Home Office allocates core grants to police forces on an annual basis without stipulating where the grant should be spent.
	The Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA) also receives a budget for law enforcement work to tackle electronic crime. The SOCA budget also includes funding for the Child Exploitation Online Protection Centre (CEOP).
	In 2007-08 CEOP received a budget (from SOCA) of £5.657 million. It is yet to be confirmed how much they will receive in 2008-09.

Intimidation

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many cases of bullying have been reported in  (a) her Department and  (b) its agencies in each of the last 12 months.

Liam Byrne: For Home Office headquarters and the Home Office agencies the number of cases of bullying that have been reported in the last 12 months is set out in the following table. Where the figure is fewer than five the exact figure is not disclosed as this could result in an individual's identity being inadvertently revealed.
	
		
			  2007 
			   Home Office  Criminal Records Bureau  Identity and Passport Service  Border and Immigration Agency  Total 
			 January <5 0 0 <5 <5 
			 February 0 0 0 0 0 
			 March <5 0 <5 <5 5 
			 April 0 0 0 0 0 
			 May <5 0 0 <5 <5 
			 June 0 0 0 5 5 
			 July 0 0 0 <5 <5 
			 August 0 0 0 <5 <5 
			 September 0 0 0 <5 <5 
			 October 0 0 0 7 7 
			 November 0 0 0 <5 <5 
			 December 0 0 0 <5 <5

Migrant Workers: Teesside

Dari Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what her most recent estimate is of the number of migrant workers there were in  (a) Teesside,  (b) Stockton South constituency and  (c) North East England in each of the last three years.

Angela Eagle: I have been asked to reply.
	The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Colin Mowl, dated 28 February 2008:
	The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question on what the most recent estimate is of the number of migrant workers in (a) Teesside, (b) Stockton South constituency and (c) North East England in each of the last three years. I am replying in her absence. (189325)
	The Office for National Statistics compiles statistics on migrant workers for local areas from the Annual Population Survey (APS). The National Statistics method for estimating the number of migrant workers employed in the UK is routinely based on the number of people at a given time who were born abroad, are of working age (16 - 64 for men, 16 - 59 for women), and in employment. This question has been answered on this basis. It means, for example, that some people who are UK nationals will be included in the total of "foreign born" and that people who are working but are above state pension age are not included.
	APS estimates at this detailed level are only available consistent with population estimates published in February and March 2003 and are not comparable with the estimates published in the Labour Market Statistics First Release on 13 February 2008, which are based on latest population estimates.
	The table attached, shows the numbers of working age in employment who were not born in the UK and were resident in Teesside, Stockton South Parliamentary Constituency and North East England, for the twelve month periods ending in June for 2005, 2006, 2007 from the APS. The July to June 2007 APS dataset is the most recent which is currently available.
	Teesside has been formed by combining Middlesbrough, Stockton-on-Tees and Redcar and Cleveland Unitary Authorities.
	When interpreting these figures, it is important to bear in mind that the APS is not designed to cover everyone who is present in the UK. The survey may undercount the numbers of people who were born overseas. The reasons are set out in the table footnote.
	As these estimates are for a subset of the population in small geographical areas, they are based on small sample sizes, and are therefore subject to large margins of uncertainty.
	
		
			  Number of migrant workers in Stockton South parliamentary constituency, Teesside( 1)  and North East England in the last three years 
			  Thousand( 2) 
			   Employment level 
			  12 months ending June:  Stockton South  Teesside  North East 
			 2005 2 7 29 
			 2006 2 8 44 
			 2007 2 7 44 
			 (1) Teesside covers the unitary authorities of Middlesbrough, Stockton-on-Tees and Redcar and Cleveland (2) Includes males aged 16-64 and females aged 16-59. Does not include respondents who did not answer the question on country of birth. Estimates are subject to sampling variability.  Note: It should also be noted that the country of birth question in the APS gives an undercount because: It excludes certain people who have been resident in the UK for less than six months. It excludes students in halls who do not have a UK resident parent. It excludes people in most other types of communal establishments (e.g. hotels, boarding houses, hostels, mobile home sites, etc.). It is grossed to population estimates which exclude migrants staying for less than 12 months. Micro-data are grossed to population estimates consistent with those published in spring 2003 which are significantly lower than the latest population estimates.  Source: Annual Population Survey (APS), ONS.

National Security

Diane Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the Prime Minister's oral statement of 14 November 2007 on national security, in which areas the new dedicated regional counter terrorism units are based; how many people work in each unit; how many of the staff are  (a) police and  (b) support staff in each unit; and how many of the staff of each unit have been (i) recruited specifically to work for each unit and (ii) seconded from other duties.

Tony McNulty: We have established counter terrorism units (CTUs) with intelligence gathering and investigative functions in the west midlands, the north-east and the north-west and counter terrorism intelligence units (CTIUs) with intelligence gathering capabilities at locations in Wales, the south-west, the south-east, the east and east midlands.
	Each CTU and CTIU is tailored to the region in which it is situated, but when fully staffed, the CTUs will have approximately 260 members of staff each and CTIUs will have approximately 55 members of staff each.
	The police officer/police staff configurations will be as follows:
	
		
			   Officers  Police staff 
			 North-east 169 92 
			 North-west 202 59 
			 West midlands 183 78 
			 Wales 38 19.5 
			 South-west 35 20 
			 South-east 37 17.5 
			 East 36 18.5 
			 East midlands 33 21.5 
		
	
	The CTUs have currently filled 703 posts of the 783 posts collectively and the CTIUs have filled 237 of the 276 posts collectively. This includes posts where recruitment has been completed, but the post holder has not yet taken up their duties. In the CTUs 499 of these posts are officers and 204 are staff. In the CTIUs 161 of the posts are officers and 76 are staff.
	All staff are recruited to specifically work in each unit.

Surveillance: Members

Peter Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate she has made of the number of hon. Members who have taken the Oath who have been directly or indirectly the subject of  (a) surveillance or  (b) intercept since 1997; and if she will make a statement.

Tony McNulty: It has been the longstanding practice of successive Governments not to comment on surveillance or interception operations.

TRANSPORT

Department Equality

Joan Humble: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what percentage of  (a) women and  (b) men work in each bargaining unit of her Department and its agencies.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The figures shown are actual headcount (not FTEs) and exclude temp/employment agency staff.
	
		
			  Percentage 
			  Agency  Male  Female 
			 DfT 62 38 
			 DSA 71 29 
			 DVLA 37 63 
			 HA 70 30 
			 MCA 67 33 
			 VGA 73 27 
			 VOSA 68 32 
			 GCDA 90 10

Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency: Publicity

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much was spent on the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency's television advertisements aimed at stopping vehicle excise duty fraud.

Jim Fitzpatrick: Latest road side survey estimates include that vehicle excise duty (VED) revenue lost through evasion is £79 million per year. The current television advertisement, aimed at deterring VED evasion, was produced during the 2006-07 financial year at a cost of £478,409.
	It was first on air in May and June 2007 with a second period during January and February 2008.
	The media cost, including fees, for television advertisements of this kind in this financial year to date, is £2,300,955.
	It is intended to run the advertisement again during 2008-09.
	In addition, a 30-second TV 'filler' was commissioned in 2007 at a cost of £111,792. This features a road safety message and is aired by television companies at no cost to the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency.

Electric Vehicles

Lembit �pik: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  what discussions she has had with her European counterparts on the potential impact of electric personal assistive mobility devices on carbon emissions and congestion; and if she will make a statement;
	(2)  what assessment she has made of the potential impact of electric personal assistive mobility devices on the Government's  (a) road traffic congestion and  (b) carbon emissions targets; and if she will make a statement.
	(3)  what assessment her Department has made of the impact the introduction of electric personal assistive mobility devices would have on carbon emissions in the UK.

Rosie Winterton: I refer the hon. Member to my answer of 26 February 2008,  Official Report, columns 1347-48W, to the hon. Member for Manchester, Withington (Mr. Leech).

Electric Vehicles

Lembit �pik: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether she plans to amend legislation to permit electric personal assistive mobility devices on the public highway or on pedestrian or cycle facilities; and if she will make a statement.

Rosie Winterton: There are no plans to amend legislation to permit electric personal assistive mobility devices on the public highway or on pedestrian or cycle facilities in the UK.

Electric Vehicles: Government Cars

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment she has made of the merits of introducing electric vehicles into the Government car fleet.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Government Car and Despatch Agency (GCDA) actively engages with vehicle manufacturers on the development of alternatively powered vehicles, including electric vehicles.
	GCDA's car fleet was one of the first in the country to introduce hybrid electric/petrol technology on a large scale. Vehicles solely powered by electricity do not yet have the range or performance to meet the day to day operational needs of the agency.

Electric Vehicles: Government Cars

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many  (a) hybrid and  (b) electric vehicles there are in the Government car fleet.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Government Car and Despatch Agency currently operates 105 hybrid vehicles but no electric vehicles. This represents 54.4 per cent. of the total car fleet.

Heathrow Airport

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many and what percentage of passengers using  (a) Heathrow and  (b) Gatwick airports were in transit (i) between domestic and international flights and (ii) between international flights in the last year for which figures are available.

Jim Fitzpatrick: holding answer 22 February 2008
	The following table shows percentage of passengers transferring between domestic and international flights and between international flights at Heathrow and Gatwick in 2006.
	
		
			  Passengers at Heathrow and Gatwick 2006 
			   Heathrow  Gatwick 
			   Passengers (million)  Percentage of total passengers  Passengers (million)  Percentage of total passengers 
			 Total passengers 67.1  33.7  
			  of which: 
			  Transfer 
			 Domestic to International 2.9 4 1.3 4 
			 International to International 17.1 26 1.6 5 
			 International to Domestic 2.8 4 1.2 4 
			  
			 Total transfer passengers(1) 22.9 34 4.2 12 
			 (1) This includes domestic to domestic transfer passengers.

Motor Vehicles: Carbon Emissions

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what target she has set for carbon dioxide emissions from road vehicles by 2020, expressed in g/km.

Jim Fitzpatrick: holding answer 25 February 2008
	We believe that 100 g/km should be achievable by 2020, or no later than 2025, at the EU level. We are pushing strongly for the recent European Commission legislative proposal on new car CO2 to be amended to reflect this.

Motor Vehicles: Excise Duties

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps the Government have taken to reduce levels of road tax evasion.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) has in place effective processes to collect Vehicle Excise Duty (VED), making vehicle licensing requirements easier to comply with but harder to avoid.
	A comprehensive package of measures is employed to combat VED evasion. This includes targeted advertising, automated penalties generated from the record, use of debt collection agencies, deployment of enforcement officers and use of automatic number plate recognition to detect and prosecute users of unlicensed vehicles. In addition, DVLA and its police and local authority enforcement partners take direct roadside enforcement action to wheel clamp and impound unlicensed vehicles.
	The most recent roadside survey of VED evasion estimates that 98.5 per cent. of duty payable in 2007 was successfully collected.

Railway Stations: Sight Impaired

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps the Government have taken to make train stations user-friendly for blind people.

Rosie Winterton: Since the launch of the Railways for All Strategy in March 2006 Access for All funding has been used to support a variety of accessibility improvements that will benefit visually impaired passengers at more than 270 stations. Schemes have included improvements to public address systems, tactile paving, lighting, stair handrails and colour contrasting.

Railway Stations: West Midlands

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent steps the Government have taken to improve accessibility of train stations in the West Midlands.

Rosie Winterton: Since the launch of the Railways for All Strategy in March 2006 Access for All funding has been used to support a variety of accessibility improvements including accessible toilets, customer information systems and hearing induction loops, at 61 stations in the West Midlands. The Department for Transport has contributed 1.2 million towards projects totalling 3.1 million.
	In addition, 160 million was announced by the Department earlier this month for improvements to passenger capacity and access at Birmingham New Street Station. This is in addition to the 128 million of funding pledged by the Department last year.

Roads

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans she has to issue a manual for streets to aid reconfiguration of existing  (a) high streets and  (b) other streets.

Rosie Winterton: We have no immediate plans to develop a manual specifically for high streets or other roads. Although the Manual for Streets, published in March 2007, focuses on residential and other lightly trafficked roads, many of its key principles are applicable to other types of roads. We are aware of the call for it to be extended in scope and we are considering how we may do this, possibly in partnership with stakeholders.

Roads

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many scheme impact evaluations she has received from local authorities for road schemes the Department for Transport has funded; and if she will  (a) list them and  (b) make them available on the Department's website.

Rosie Winterton: Evaluation is an integral part of the scheme development and since July 2006, the Department for Transport (DfT) requires local authorities submitting a Major Scheme Business Case to include an outline evaluation plan. We have issued guidance titled The Evaluation of Local Authority Transport Schemes: A Guide to local authorities conducting scheme evaluations in December 2006. The guidance is available on the DFT website at the following web link:
	http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/regional/ltp/major/pdfeval mailocautranpro
	This provides detailed guidance for local authorities on how to plan and conduct an effective evaluation.
	We do not have any evaluations for those schemes that received funding approval before July 2006 and it will be sometime before we start receiving completed evaluations for schemes receiving funding approval after July 2006.
	In addition, we now expect local authorities to make available, on their own websites, scheme evaluations as they become available.

Roads: Repairs and Maintenance

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if she will make it her policy to record centrally expenditure by local authorities on compensation paid as a result of inadequate road maintenance resulting in  (a) personal injury and  (b) damage to vehicles.

Rosie Winterton: Highway maintenance on local roads in England is the responsibility of each local highways authority. This responsibility includes management of claims for compensation for personal injury and damage to vehicles resulting from alleged inadequate road maintenance. There are no plans to introduce central recording of those claims.

Sea Rescue: Ireland

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport on how many occasions the  (a) Republic of Ireland's coast guard agency,  (b) Irish Air Corps and  (c) Irish navy have been involved in marine emergency and rescue in United Kingdom waters in the last two years; and if she will make a statement.

Jim Fitzpatrick: According to the Maritime and Coastguard Agency records, in 2006 the Republic of Ireland's coastguard was contacted for assistance 206 times, and the Irish navy three times. In 2007 the coastguard was contacted for assistance 209 times and the Irish navy on one occasion. The Irish Air Corps was not used in either year.

Trains: Fuels

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what consideration her Department has given to the merits of low-cost ultra-light rail fuelled by biomethane made locally from anaerobically digested organic waste; and if she will make a statement.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Department has not made such an assessment. We are aware of the claims made for the potential benefits of ultra light rail, but in order to properly assess these, we would need to see a business case supporting its application in a specific location. Local authorities are welcome to submit innovative proposals to the Department for funding as pilot or demonstration schemes within the major scheme funding regime. During 2006, the Department part-funded a research project to assess the potential role of biomethane as a renewable transport fuel, although this did not examine it's potential in ultra light rail specifically. A copy of this report has been made available in the House Libraries.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Aggregates Levy Sustainability Fund: Braintree

Brooks Newmark: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs which projects in Braintree constituency have been funded by the aggregates levy sustainability fund; and what the value is of each project.

Jonathan R Shaw: A breakdown by constituency is not available, but the information requested, for the county of Essex, is set out in the following table.
	
		
			  Aggregates levy sustainability fund projects in Essex 
			  Project title  Grant () 
			 Access for all Rainham Marshes 34,999 
			 Aldham Parish Council - Basketball equipment 3,000 
			 Belhus Cricket Club - New equipment 3,000 
			 Bell Tower Community Centre Project, Great Waltham/Ford End 6,650 
			 Berwick Woods - Footpath improvements 53,783 
			 Boardwalk at Rainham, Wennington and Aveley - RSPB nature reserve 6,318 
			 Building for the New Millennium, Little Tey 10,400 
			 Chafford Gorges - Visitor guide 3,359 
			 Chigborough Lakes 2,579 
			 Cleaner Village - Purchase of a road sweeper , Silver End 500 
			 Colne Estuary area community access and biodiversity 22,986 
			 Copford with Easthorpe Parish Council - Play equipment 2,000 
			 Danbury - Surface front carpark area 2,860 
			 Danbury Parish Council - Play area and Dawson Field 1,190 
			 Eastern Waste - Crushing, screening and infrastructure, Brightlingsea 226,920 
			 Elsenham Parish Council play area -Replacement signs and teen shelter 7,500 
			 Erection of Rabbit proof fencing around Ardleigh Recreation Ground 5,437 
			 Exploring and understanding Gosfield Pits 3,500 
			 Felsted Memorial Hall redecoration and repair 6,500 
			 Fingringhoe Wick interpretation 17,228 
			 Fingringhoe Wick signs and interpretation 5,070 
			 Grassland management and visitor facilities, Old Hall Marshes 7,299 
			 Greater Thames survey of known mineral extraction 168,639 
			 Grove Road play area - Play equipment, Tiptree 6,011 
			 Grove Road play area - Provision of a Spacenet, Tiptree 10,400 
			 Hall Marsh - Wet grasslands for wildlife and people 65,000 
			 Hatfield Peverel Parish Park - Biodiversity report 1,500 
			 Lodge Farm, St. Osyth,- Archaeology 393,731 
			 Martins Farm Parish Park 3,000 
			 Messing cum Inworth Parish Council - Finger post 2,856 
			 Messing cum Inworth Parish Council - Playground 3,500 
			 Play area refurbishment, Danbury 8,810 
			 Play equipment, Bradwell 6,000 
			 Play Equipment, Fingringhoe 3,670 
			 Priory Meadow recreation and play area 06-07, St. Osyth 5,500 
			 Priory Meadow recreational and play area, St. Osyth 15,000 
			 Provision of floodlighting to multipurpose sports facility, Pleshey 3,000 
			 Rainham Marshes RSPB 35,000 
			 Rainham, Wennington and Aveley Marshes RSPB Nature Reserve 22,000 
			 Rebekah May Birch - Community Wildlife Garden 4,970 
			 Removal of Pennywort from the Chelmer and Blackwater River Basins 16,000 
			 RSPB - Enhancement of Lapwing Breeding and Feeding, Tollesbury 5,933 
			 RSPB - Rainham Marshes Community Consultation 750 
			 School Grounds Development and Secret Garden, Rowhedge 900 
			 Shenfield Church butterfly meadow 2,500 
			 Soil washing facility- Eco Aggregates Ltd, Springfield 602,239 
			 Stansted Hall Cricket Club - Purchase of equipment and upgrade of facilities 5,274 
			 Table-top interpretation, Hatfield Forest 8,000 
			 Thames Chase Feasibility Study 1,000 
			 Thames Chase Forest Centre 150,000 
			 The Draqonflies of Essex (Book) 1,000 
			 The finest prospect in all England: a history of South Essex 49,494 
			 Upgrading of Parish Councils grass cutting machinery, Sandon 6,000 
			 Water and Mink Monitoring Project in Thurrock 7,308 
			 Wildlife Walk, Accessible Pathway and Self Guided, Epping Forest 3,000 
			 Youth Shelter Provision, Langham 7,275

Animals: Diseases

James Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much and what proportion of the expected costs of animal disease and welfare will fall upon the  (a) public purse and  (b) farmers under cost-sharing arrangements for each year of the comprehensive spending review period.

Jonathan R Shaw: holding answer 5 February 2008
	It is not possible to provide such a breakdown, as the costs to industry and Government will vary. As part of the CSR 07 settlement the Government are committed to reducing DEFRA's animal health and welfare budget by 121 million by 2010-11. This is being achieved through a combination of efficiency savings at no additional cost to the industry; and transfers and charges in full or in part for activities and services which are of direct benefit to the industry whether individually or collectively.

Animals: Diseases

James Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether estimated savings in 2010-11 from cost-sharing in relation to animal disease and welfare include income from levies imposed on the farming industry for the control of exotic diseases.

Jonathan R Shaw: holding answer 5 February 2008
	No. We do not anticipate that legislation to facilitate the introduction of other revenue raising mechanisms as part of the wider responsibility and cost sharing agenda for animal health and welfare will be in place before the end of the current CSR settlement period. We are currently consulting on the broad means by which full responsibility and cost sharing might be introduced, with a view to consulting by the end of the year on specific proposals for the establishment of responsibility and cost sharing.

Animals: Diseases

James Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on what financial basis and assumptions an annual saving of 121 million by 2011 from cost-sharing for animal disease control and welfare was calculated.

Jonathan R Shaw: holding answer 5 February 2008
	An annual saving of 121 million by 2010-11 represents the proportion of the Department's CSR settlement which falls on the Animal Health and Welfare budget. This is being achieved through a combination of efficiency savings at no additional cost to the industry; and transfers and charges in full or in part for activities and services which are of direct benefit to the industry whether individually or collectively.

Animals: Diseases

Peter Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what measures relating to vaccination of sheep and cattle have been taken in relation to bluetongue disease.

Jonathan R Shaw: DEFRA has placed an order with Intervet for 22.5 million doses of vaccine for use against bluetongue serotype 8 (BTV-8), the strain currently in circulation in parts of East and South East England. 20 million doses are reserved for use in England and 2.5 million doses are reserved for potential use in Wales. The UK was the first member state affected by BTV-8 to place an order for vaccine and Intervet has indicated that vaccine will begin to be available from May.
	A vaccination delivery plan was published on 18 February and is available on the DEFRA website. It sets out how livestock keepers in the Protection Zone will be able to purchase doses from a vaccine bank through their private vets once vaccine is available. Depending on vaccine availability and the disease situation, once vaccination is progressing broadly across the Protection Zone, the intention is to extend or modify the zone in order to permit further vaccination. This will allow a phased approach as vaccine is delivered.

Animals: Smuggling

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps his Department takes to manage health risks associated with animals which are smuggled into the UK.

Jonathan R Shaw: DEFRA, the devolved Administrations and Animal Health publicise the requirements for animals entering the country, including the possible disease consequences of failure to adhere to import requirements. Animal Health carry out checks at ports, as do other bodies. Carriers authorised under the Pet Travel scheme (PETS) are required to be vigilant and take steps to prevent illegal imports. We also receive information from private vets. Animal Health takes action to deal with health risks from illegally imported animals, which may include isolation, return to the country of origin or destruction.
	Illegal imports are referred to local trading standards offices to consider appropriate action, including prosecution.
	DEFRA and Animal Health have an ongoing exotic disease surveillance programme and agreed contingency plans for dealing with outbreaks of exotic disease.

Badgers: Devon

Anthony Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much was spent on the protection of badgers in Devon in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Joan Ruddock: holding answer 26 February 2008
	DEFRA does not hold details of the costs associated with the range of protection afforded to badgers in Devon.
	Badgers, including those in Devon, are specifically protected under the Protection of Badgers Act 1992. They are also protected from harm and ill treatment, along with other species, by a range of additional legislation. DEFRA is responsible for policy relating to the Protection of Badgers Act in England, but this is only one part of its wider responsibility for policy relating to wildlife legislation.

Bonamia Ostreae

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will make a statement on the outbreak of bonamia ostreae in Kent.

Jonathan R Shaw: On 15 February we issued a notice under the Fish Health Regulations 1997, controlling the movement of molluscan shellfish from the north Kent coast. This followed confirmation of the presence of the parasite bonamia ostreae in a bed of native oysters.
	The area subject to movement controls has been selected to ensure maximum protection against any further spread of the disease. Bonamia ostreae causes the serious disease bonamiosis in native oyster stocks, but does not have any clinical effect on any other species of shellfish. The Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (CEFAS) will be monitoring the extent and effect of the disease in the controlled area.
	It is not expected that the controls, which apply to movements of shellfish for the purposes of relaying or re-immersion in the aquatic environment, will interfere with current commercial activity. Bonamiosis has no implications for human health, and native oysters from this area can still be eaten.

Bovine Tuberculosis: Devon

Anthony Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many animals removed from farms in Devon as a result of investigations of suspected or confirmed cases of tuberculosis were returned to the human food chain in each of the last five years.

Jonathan R Shaw: holding answer 26 February 2008
	The following table provides data for 2003 to 2007 on (a) the number of cattle removed from farms in Devon for TB control reasons; (b) the number of cattle with TB suspected at routine slaughterhouse inspection and (c) of these, the number of cattle where infection with  Mycobacterium bovis ( M.  bovis) was subsequently unconfirmed at post mortem examination.
	
		
			   Cattle removed under TB control measures( 1)  TB suspected at routine slaughterhouse inspection  M. bovis unconfirmed at post mortem examination 
			 2003 3,767 5 2,337 
			 2004 4,578 4 2,186 
			 2005(2) 6,660 14 2,931 
			 2006(2) 4,468 13 1,751 
			 2007(2) 5,383 29 2,013 
			 (1) TB reactors, inconclusive reactors or direct contacts. (2) Provisional figures, subject to change as more data becomes available. 
		
	
	Responsibility for inspecting TB carcasses and their associated offal rests with the Meat Hygiene Service (MHS). Under the EU food hygiene regulations, all the animals from Devon herds with no visible tuberculosis lesions, plus any cattle from those herds with visible tuberculosis lesions localised in one organ or one part of the carcase, will have been considered fit for human consumption by the MHS.

Bovine Tuberculosis: Finance

Geoffrey Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much money was spent by his Department on the destruction of animals identified as having contracted bovine tuberculosis in 2007.

Jonathan R Shaw: The relative TB Control costs for DEFRA in 2006-07 were:
	
		
			  2006-07 
			  Activity   million 
			 Cattle testing 37.8 
			 Compensation 24.5 
			 Surveillance activity by the VLA 6.4 
			 HQ / Overheads 1.7 
			  Notes: 1. Cattle testingthe cost of carrying out the testing of cattle for TB by arranging, assessing and monitoring tests, conducting investigations of incident herds and diagnostic testing by Local Veterinary Inspectors on behalf of DEFRA.  NB: These costs include Scotland and Wales (funded by DEFRA). 2. Compensationincludes payments for 'reactors' and 'contact animals' which are compulsorily slaughtered. This includes 'salvage' money received by the Government for those carcasses which are permitted to go into the food chain or are eligible for over thirty month scheme payments.  NB: These costs include Scotland and Wales and are funded by their respective Governments. 3. Surveillance activity by the VLAincludes all DEFRA funded work carried out by the Veterinary Laboratories Agency relating to TB in cattle and badgers including the supply of tuberculin. 4. HQ/Overheadsincludes staff costs for veterinary advice and administration of TB policy in England, Scotland and Wales.

Carbon Emissions: Aviation

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will estimate the climate change impact of UK aviation in the most recent year for which figures are available.

Phil Woolas: In 2005, it is estimated that international and domestic UK aviation (includes all flights that take off from, and land at, a UK airport) accounted for 37.5 million tonnes of carbon dioxide (MtCO2), or 6.4 per cent. of UK emissions. This takes no account of the radiative forcing impact of the release of emissions at altitude, not does it reflect the climate impact of aircraft contrails or emissions of other gases not controlled under the Kyoto protocol.

Coastal Fishing

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what response he has received to plans to permit 30 inshore trawlers from Hartlepool, Lowestoft and the Thames Estuary to land all of their catch above minimum landing sizes; whether they will be compensated; and if he will make a statement.

Jonathan R Shaw: On 5 February 2008, I announced a pilot project to assess the environmental impacts of inshore fisheries.
	Owners of inshore fishing vessels that target quota stocks and operate (i) off the north east coast centred around Hartlepool, (ii) off the east coast centred around Lowestoft, and (iii) in the Thames Estuary, will be invited to participate. The pilot will collect information on a range of indicators including fishing method, catches, discards, marketing and fuel consumption. This, and other information, will help inform the implementation of Fisheries 2027, a long-term vision for sustainable fisheries. DEFRA officials have spoken with a number of fishermen from the above areas who have expressed an interest in participating in the pilot and, in due course, they will be holding meetings in the three pilot areas to discuss details of the Scheme. I have not offered compensation but costs of equipping participating vessels will be met by DEFRA. I will consider extending the pilot to recreational fishing following a review of the first six months of the Scheme which I aim to have operational by the summer.

Common Fisheries Policy

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  whether he has discussed reforming the Common Fisheries Policy with his EU counterparts; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  whether he attended the informal Council meeting of 18 February 2008 on the reform of EU fisheries policy; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  what discussions were held at the informal Council meeting of 18 February 2008 on the reform of the EU fisheries policy; what his policy is on Common Fisheries Policy reform; and if he will make a statement.

Jonathan R Shaw: The UK Government are still considering their overall approach to the 2012 reform of the common fisheries policy and have not therefore begun substantive discussions with their European counterparts. We do, however, intend to engage with them and the European Commission at an early stage to ensure the effectiveness of any new policy.
	My noble Friend, the Minister for Sustainable Food and Farming and Animal Health (Lord Rooker) attended the Informal Meeting of Ministers on 18 February. He participated in the discussion on the Commission's proposed response to the Court of Auditors' special report on the EU's control, inspection and sanction systems, and the Commission's proposals for reform and modernisation of the control system.

Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000

James Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  what progress has been made in mapping land as defined by section 15(1) of the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000;
	(2)  what the cost of mapping land as defined by section 15(1) of the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 has been to date;
	(3)  what assessment he has made of the implications of changes to Natural England's budget for the mapping of land as defined by section 15(1) of the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000.

Jonathan R Shaw: In 2003 the Countryside Agency (now Natural England) let a contract to identify land as defined by Section 15(1) of the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 (CROW). The research considered records available through publicly accessible archives, DEFRA, local authorities and some private sources. From the data obtained, a map was developed that shows where land mapped as open country, registered common land or land dedicated under Section 16 of CROW is affected by one or more Section 15 enactment. That map and associated information is available through Natural England's Open Access website.
	The majority of the cost of mapping land subject to Section 193 of the Law of Property Act 1925 was integral to the costs of preparing maps of registered common land under Section 4(1 )(a) of CROW. The cost of researching and mapping all other categories of land defined by Section 15 of CROW to date has been 260,000.
	It is a matter for the Board of Natural England to propose in its corporate plan what priority to give to individual projects in the light of the financial settlement it has received.

Departmental Civil Service Agencies

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when he will announce the budgets for his Department's executive agencies for 2008-09; and if he will make a statement.

Jonathan R Shaw: Details of DEFRA's 2008-09 budgets were announced by the Secretary of State on 21 February. Net controlled executive agencies recover their full economic costs through charges to their customers, including DEFRA, and so do not appear within the detail of the budget announcement. Budget details for gross controlled executive agencies are shown in the table as follows.
	
		
			   million 
			   2008-09 
			   Programme  Cap  Total 
			 RPA Operations 201.4 22.0 223.4 
			 RPA OCDS Costs (1) 32.4  32.4 
			 Marine and Fisheries Agency 20.5 3.0 23.5 
			 Animal Health 114.0 14.1 128.1 
			 Govt Decontamination Service 3.0 0 3.0 
			 (1 )OCDS (Older Cattle Disposal Scheme) ends February 2009.

Departmental Databases

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what databases are  (a) owned and  (b) maintained by (i) his Department and (ii) its agencies.

Jonathan R Shaw: DEFRA and its agencies own or maintain a wide range of databases reflecting its diverse policy and regulatory functions. Some of these databases contain large numbers of individual datasets. In addition DEFRA purchases licences for many external datasets to help in its research and analytical activities. A detailed list could be provided only at disproportionate cost to the Department.

Departmental Grants

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when he will announce the grant-in-aid packages his Department will distribute in 2008-09; and if he will make a statement.

Jonathan R Shaw: Details of DEFRA's 2008-09 budgets, including grant-in-aid for arms length bodies, were announced by the Secretary of State on 21 February.
	Details of 2008-09 budgets for arms length bodies are as follows:
	
		
			  2008-09 
			   million 
			   Programme  Cap  Total 
			 Environment Agency 466.04 329.96 796.00 
			 Natural England 169.86 6.14 176.00 
			 Carbon Trust (2) 58.66 30.40 89.06 
			 British Waterways 34.10 23.55 57.65 
			 National Parks 47.10 0 47.10 
			 Waste and Resources Action Programme (1) 40.22 3.00 43.22 
			 Energy Savings Trust (2) 35.20 1.60 36.80 
			 Royal Botanical Gardens Kew 17.60 8.75 26.35 
			 Joint Nature Conservation Committee 7.76 0 7.76 
			 Committee for Rural Communities 6.40 0 6.40 
			 ENCAMS 5.00 0 5.00 
			 Food From Britain 4.00 0 4.00 
			 National Forest Co. 3.60 0 3.60 
			 Gangmasters Licensing Authority 1.45 0 1.45 
			 (1 )WRAP includes funding previously originating from the Business Resource Efficiency and Waste (BREW) programme. (2 )Carbon Trust and Energy Savings Trust include Environmental Transformation Fund (Some of this may be reallocated when the ETF becomes operational)

Departmental ICT

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will introduce automated computer shut down software across his Department.

Jonathan R Shaw: DEFRA places a high importance on IT energy efficiency measures and seeks to make savings wherever possible.
	 (a) instructions to staff have been provided in a number of ways. As part of our 'big switch' energy efficiency campaign at the start of 2006, we combined online and poster messaging to inform and change staff behaviour to make sure all computers and other electrical equipment is switched off. Seasonal messages are broadcast on DEFRA's intranet to ensure staff turn off equipment over holiday periods. Information and instructions on energy saving measures appear on DEFRA's intranet and there are stickers on computer screens reminding staff to switch off their monitors. There are also checks carried out by security guards on the London estate on their normal night time patrols who switch off machines if found to be powered up without explanation.
	 (b) DEFRA is currently undertaking trials of timer switches on power sockets for printers and copiers. It is also preparing to roll-out a VISTA-based desktop environment within which it will deploy VISTA's inbuilt group policy options to enforce a default switch to the VISTA sleep mode after a pre-set elapsed time of inactivity.
	 (c) There has been an assessment of Nightwatchman technology that provides similar automatic hibernation of devices, but at this stage it has been decided to pursue the VISTA policy option avoiding additional expense. This will be reviewed once we have had sufficient experience of the new VISTA environment and the effectiveness of the proposed configuration.

Departmental Information Officers

Jeremy Browne: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much his Department paid in bonuses to press and communication officers in each of the last 10 years; and what the  (a) highest and  (b) lowest such bonus was in each of those years.

Jonathan R Shaw: Government policy is that a civil servant's pay should reflect their outputs, results and performance.
	For the senior civil service (SCS), departments and agencies are responsible for their own reward arrangements within a framework set by Cabinet Office. Below the SCS, departments have delegated authority to tailor reward packages to meet their own business needs.
	Under current arrangements, bonuses are used to reward excellent performance during the year, and are based on a judgement of how well an individual has performed relative to their peers.
	Performance related pay schemes encourage high attainment because bonuses have to be earned each year. They help drive high performance in departments and agencies and support better public service delivery.
	The data requested for bonuses paid in DEFRA and its agencies are as follows:
	
		
			   
			   2005  2006  2007 
			 Total 9,786.00 21,662.00 14,950.00 
			 Min 350.00 250.00 200.00 
			 Max 1,299.00 6,000.00 750.00 
		
	
	The information covers people in core-DEFRA and the following DEFRA Executive Agencies: Animal Health, Pesticides Safety Directorate, Veterinary Medicines Directorate, Marine Fisheries Agency, Government Decontamination Service. It does not include payments made by DEFRA's agencies that have taken pay delegation (Central Science Laboratory, Centre for Environment Fisheries and Aquaculture Science, Rural Payments Agency and Veterinary Laboratories Agency).
	Please note that data prior 2005 are available at disproportionate cost only, as a result of system changes.

Departmental Ministerial Policy Advisers

Charles Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will list the special advisers employed in his Department and its predecessor since 6 May 1997; and what the  (a) start and  (b) end date of employment was in each case.

Jonathan R Shaw: Since 2003, the Government have published on an annual basis the names and numbers of special advisers in each pay band. For the most recent information I refer the hon. Member to the statement made by my right hon. Friend, the Prime Minister on 22 November 2007,  Official Report, columns 147-150WS.
	Information on the employment of special advisers prior to 2003 was provided at regular intervals and is available in the Library of the House.

Departmental Public Relations

Jeremy Browne: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many external contracts his Department held with public relations companies in each of the last 10 years; and what the total cost of those contracts was.

Jonathan R Shaw: DEFRA was formed in June 2001. Since that time DEFRA's Communications Directorate has not had any direct contracts with any public relations companies as work is contracted through the Central Office of Information. The sub-contracted agencies are listed as follows:
	
		
			  Agency  Cost ()  Project  Date 
			 Good Relations 5,900 Sustainable Food and Farming 2002 
			 Biss Lancaster 189,367 Your Countryside your welcome 2002 
			 Red 121,849 Illegal Imports 2002 
			 Country Porter Novelli 16,243 Sustainable Development 2002 
			 Forster Company 11,170 Darwin Initiative 2003 
			 Media Moguls 261,559 Illegal Food Imports Campaign Phase 1 July 2004 to March 2005 
			 Media Moguls 22,362 Illegal Food Imports Campaign Phase 2 August 2005 to March 2006 
			 Amazon Public Relations 55,905 Launch of the Sustainable Development Strategy January to May 2005 
			 Amazon Public Relations 18,750 Sustainable Development case studies August 2005 to March 2006 
			 Weber Shandwick 60,000 Climate Change October 2005 to March 2006 
			 Amazon Public Relations 108,577 Sustainable Development August 2005 to May 2006 
			 Munro and Forster 64,424 Residual Waste October to December 2007 
			 Trimedia Harrison Cowley 361,322 Act on CO2 January 2007 to March 2008 
		
	
	All of the agencies listed have provided specialist skills and services that were not available within DEFRA's Communications Directorate.

Departmental Repairs and Maintenance

John Greenway: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the estimated cost of the planned refurbishment of his Department's offices at Kings Pool, York is; and if he will make a statement.

Jonathan R Shaw: holding answer 7 February 2008
	 The planned refurbishment works, undertaken to increase capacity, improve business effectiveness, reduce occupancy cost and facilitate modern working practices at the Kings Pool complex in York is estimated to cost 28.3 million inclusive of VAT. This includes the comprehensive phased refurbishment of both Foss House and Mallard House whilst business as usual continues and includes the construction of a new 'Hub' building, all meeting BREEAM (BRE Environmental Assessment Method) excellent standards as required by cross-government mandate.

Departmental Security

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will list the  (a) special advisers and  (b) ministerial appointees in possession of a security pass enabling access to his Department's main building in the month prior to the prorogation of Parliament for the 2005 general election.

Jonathan R Shaw: It is established practice not to provide details on pass access to Government buildings for security reasons.

Departmental Translation Services

Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what documents his Department, its predecessor, and its agencies translated for people who do not speak English in  (a) 2007-08 and  (b) the last five years; and what the total cost associated was of such translations.

Jonathan R Shaw: In the last five years, DEFRA's translation section has arranged the translation of the following documents for people in the UK who do not speak English:
	Amendment to paragraph of EC Quality Standards for Fresh Fruit and Vegetables
	A Retailer's Guide (2003)
	Leaflet entitled If in doubt, leave it out (re illegal imports) (2003)
	Leaflet on Manual Harvest Workers (2003)
	Gangmaster leaflet (2004)
	Extracts from Agriculture and Horticulture Act (2004)
	Leaflet entitled Waste - duty of care (2004)
	Leaflet entitled Food on the Go (2005)
	Two dry cleaning leaflets, reminders about Solvent Emissions Directive (2006)
	Summary leaflet, Controls on the handling of waste (2006)
	Leaflet about working with poultry (2007)
	The cost per language in each of these years is as follows:
	
		
			   
			   2003  2004  2005  2006  2007 
			 Arab 1,066 235 0 0 0 
			 Bengali 1,066 0 1,045 504 0 
			 Chinese Simplified 595 0 0 0 0 
			 Chinese Traditional 665 1,004 1,045 424 0 
			 Farsi 0 235 0 0 0 
			 Greek 0 0 0 65 0 
			 Gujarati 1,136 0 1,045 65 0 
			 Hindi 1,136 0 0 0 0 
			 Kurdish 0 470 0 0 0 
			 Polish 94 0 0 0 118 
			 Portuguese 73 0 0 0 59 
			 Punjabi 1,136 0 1,045 0 0 
			 Russian 72 0 0 0 0 
			 Turkish 70 0 1,045 431 0 
			 Urdu 1,136 2,555 1,045 504 0

Devolution

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how often  (a) he and  (b) his officials are in contact with (i) Scottish, (ii) Welsh and (iii) Northern Ireland counterparts to discuss (1) fisheries, (2) the marine environment, (3) agriculture and (4) rural affairs; and if he will make a statement.

Jonathan R Shaw: My ministerial colleagues and I, and our officials, are regularly in contact with our counterparts in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland and discuss the full range of our common interests in agriculture, fisheries, the environment and rural affairs. My most recent meeting with my Scottish, Welsh and Northern Ireland colleagues was on 6 February where we discussed the outcome of the December Agriculture and Fisheries Council and future work on the reform of the Common Fisheries Policy.

Devolution

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when he and his predecessors met counterparts in the devolved administrations in each year since 2001; and if he will make a statement.

Jonathan R Shaw: My ministerial colleagues and I have regular contact, both formal and informal, with our counterparts in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. The Department does not retain central information on the meetings held between my predecessors and their counterparts in the devolved Administrations. To provide a full response to the hon. Member's question would incur disproportionate costs.

Electricity

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what total quantity of electricity in kilowatts was consumed by  (a) his Department and  (b) its agencies in each of the last five years.

Jonathan R Shaw: The Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) can confirm that annual electricity consumption from buildings on the DEFRA and Executive Agency estate for which we have contractual responsibility for electricity use are shown in the following table:
	
		
			  Electricity Consumption (kWh) 
			   2005-06  2004-05  2003-04  2002-03 
			 DEFRA 15,647,140 17,273,446 15,438,600 15,958,300 
			 MFA (formed in 1 Oct 2005)(1) 164,083
			 SVS (now Animal Health) 3,358,863
			 BCMS (joined RPA in 2003)1,132,322 
			 RPA 8,556,851 7,637,183 7,998,271 7,427,798 
			 CEFAS 5,148,877 5,152,393 5,080,351 5,063,448 
			 CSL 13,701,553 13,210,227 11,932,201 12,205,053 
			 VLA 12,786,601 10,162,812 10,905,900 9,884,741 
			 TOTAL 59,363,968 53,436,061 51,355,323 51,671,662 
			 (1) Consumption is total for 2005-06, we are unable to split the data before and after the Agency was formed. 
		
	
	Sustainable Development Commission are verifying government data for 2006-07 which are expected to be published in March.

Fisheries

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many non-UK vessels have historic rights to fish within the UK 12 nautical mile limit, broken down by country of origin; what the quota of each is; and if he will make a statement.

Jonathan R Shaw: There is no stipulation of the number of non-UK vessels that are entitled to fish within the UK's six to 12 nautical mile zone. However, vessels are restricted entry to our inshore waters on the basis of country and gear type. Those countries who have historic rights to fish are laid down in Annex 1 of the Framework Regulation for the Common Fisheries Policy (Council Regulation (EC) No 2371/2002 of 20 December 2002 on the conservation and sustainable exploitation of fisheries resources under the Common Fisheries Policy), which can be found at:
	http://eurlex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=CELEX:32002R2371:EN:NOT
	Quota is allocated to member states on the basis of the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) sea areas. There is no specific quota for the six to 12 mile zone. Details of the quotas for each species that individual countries have access to can be found in Council Regulation (EC) No 40/2008 of 16 January 2008 fixing for 2008 the fishing opportunities and associated conditions for certain fish stocks and groups of fish stocks, applicable in Community waters and, for Community vessels, in waters where catch limitations are required, which can be accessed at:
	http://eurlex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:L:2008:019:0001:0203:EN:PDF

Fisheries: Closures

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what fishery closures have taken place in each year since 1997; what the reasons for each closure are; what the duration of each closure is; and if he will make a statement.

Jonathan R Shaw: Details of fishery closures, at a UK level, during the last five years, where a fishery has remained closed until the end of the year are shown in the following table. The reasons for these closures are the exhaustion of UK quota. Some fisheries, such as pelagic ones, have a short season so the impact of what may appear to be a lengthy closure will have had a minimal impact on most fishermen.
	
		
			   Fishery  Closure date  Duration 
			 2007 Sole VIIe 17 December 2007 14 
			  Cod VIIb-k 17 December 2007 14 
			  North sea cod 20 December 2007 11 
			  North Sea plaice 20 December 2007 11 
			  North sea megrim 27 November 2007 34 
			  West Coast herring 17 September 2007 105 
			  Tusk V, VII, VII 6 July 2007 178 
			 
			 2006 North Sea plaice 22 December 2006 9 
			  North Sea hake 8 October 2006 84 
			  North Sea herring 20 November 2006 41 
			  West Coast herring 8 October 2006 84 
			  North Sea mackerel 19 July 2006 165 
			  North Sea sandeels 13 May 2006 232 
			  Blue ling VI, VII 24 June 2006 190 
			 
			 2005 Irish Sea herring 4 December 2005 27 
			  Blue ling VI, VII 18 July 2005 166 
			  Deep Sea shark XII Unknown - 
			 
			 2004 Sole VIIhjk 18 December 2004 13 
			  Cod VIa 18 December 2004 13 
			  Anglerfish Vb, VI, XII, XIV 27 November 2004 34 
			  Argentines V-VII 3 April 2004 272 
			  Blue ling VI, VII 9 August 2004 144 
			  Blue Ling II, IV, V 12 July 2004 172 
			  Ling V 12 July 2004 172 
			 
			 2003 Sole VIIe 18 December 2003 13 
			  North Sea haddock 15 December 2003 16 
			  Anglerfish Vb, VI, XII, XIV 15 December 2003 16 
			  North Sea herring 9 September 2003 113 
			  West Coast herring 20 0ctober 2003 72 
			  Western blue whiting 2 April 2003 273

Fisheries: Enforcement

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on what dates there were no  (a) River Class offshore and  (b) inshore patrol vessels operating in UK waters as part of the Fishery Protection Squadron in each month since April 2007; and if he will make a statement.

Jonathan R Shaw: During the period 1 April 2007 to 31 January 2008, the dates when no River class patrol vessels were in operation on fisheries protection duties are shown in the following table.
	
		
			   Date(s)  Reason 
			  2007   
			 April 27, 28 2 days stand-off 
			 May 11, 12, 26, 27 4 days stand-off 
			 June 15, 16, 17, 18, 19 Davit Failureall Rivers recalled for davit rectification 
			 July   
			 August 3, 4 2 days stand-off 
			 September  () 
			 October 11 De-ammunitioning 
			 November 23, 24, 25 3 days stand-off 
			 December 20-31 12 days Christmas-new year leave(1) 
			
			  2008   
			 January 1-3 3 days Christmas-new year leave(1) 
		
	
	During the period 1 April 2007 to 31 January 2008, the dates when no inshore patrol vessels (Hunt class) were in operation on fisheries protection duties are shown in the following table.
	
		
			   Date(s)  Reason 
			  2007   
			 April 1-20 3 Rivers on patrol20 days not required(1) 
			 May 4-7, 18-20, 27-31 3 days stand-off9 days not required(1) 
			 June 1-4, 13, 19, 20, 29, 30 3 days stand-off6 days not required(1) 
			 July 1-17, 28-31 4 days stand-off17 days not required(1) 
			 August 4, 8-10, 19-31 1 day stand-off12 days not required(1) 
			   1 day other duties3 days defect 
			 September 1-6, 15, 20-24, 29-30 1 day stand-off7 days not required (1) 
			   6 days defect 
			 October 1-6, 13, 14, 19-28 2 days stand-off16 days not required(1) 
			 November 2, 3, 10-18, 25 2 days stand-off8 days not required(1) 
			 December 1, 2, 8, 9, 15-31 4 days stand-off17days Christmas leave(1) 
			
			  2008   
			 January 1-5, 12, 13, 18-31 2 days stand-off19 days not required(1) 
			 (1) No operational requirements for vessels on these days

Fisheries: Protection

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much funding to protect marine biodiversity and fish stocks from  (a) pollution,  (b) parasites,  (c) invasive species and  (d) other threats in each of the (i) last five years and (ii) next five years; and if he will make a statement.

Jonathan R Shaw: The Department does not hold the information in the form the hon. Member requests and, due to Departmental reorganisation, comparisons with previous years are not readily available. For 2007-08, the Department's budget for marine and fisheries work is 40 million, this is likely to increase to around 47 million in 2008-09. Some of the funding provided to statutory agencies (such as the Joint Nature Conservation Committee) also contributes to the protection of marine biodiversity.

Fisheries: Quotas

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what research his Department has commissioned on the composition of fishing catches in relation to allocated quota; and if he will make a statement.

Jonathan R Shaw: DEFRA commissions a range of research work on the composition of fish caught by UK fishermen. Among other uses, this work provides information on factors such as the selectivity of fishing gears and the level of discards of fish. These are used as inputs into the ongoing scientific assessment of the state of fish stocks used to determining the level of fish quotas each year that are allocated to member states.

Fisheries: Quotas

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the catch composition of the catch from vessels involved in the Irish Sea Discard Pilot has been; what the difference between the catch composition and the quota allocation has been; and if he will make a statement.

Jonathan R Shaw: Data from the initial period of the pilot project are being compiled by scientists in the UK and Ireland and are not yet available.

Fisheries: Quotas

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  what cross-year quota swaps he has made affecting the amount of quota available to the 10m and under fleet in 2008; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what in-year and cross-quota swaps he has made in each International Council for the Exploration of the Sea Area affecting the quota available for the 10m and under fleet in 2008; what economic assessment he has made of such swaps; and if he will make a statement.

Jonathan R Shaw: The Marine and Fisheries Agency has explored, and will continue to explore, all options to acquire additional quota for the inshore fleet through domestic and international swaps, and via quota contributed to the 10 m and under quota allocations by producer organisations under economic link arrangements. A key determinant on whether or not a swap is agreed is if there is economic benefit for the UK in making the swap. Based on this, two international cross-year swaps have been completed with Germany and the Netherlands to acquire an additional 150 tonnes of valuable North sea sole quota in 2008 for inshore fishermen operating in the southern North sea. Additionally, similar cross year swaps have been agreed to gain 38 tonnes of North sea Whiting and 26 tonnes of Irish sea Plaice for the inshore fleet. Other international swaps have also taken place. These will not have been carried out for the specific benefit of the inshore fleet. However, the inshore fleet will have benefited in many instances from a share of the extra fish gained for the UK as a whole.

Fisheries: Quotas

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer of 5 December 2007,  Official Report, column 1272W, on fisheries: quota, whether he has now discussed quota management with the Inshore Fisheries Working Group; whether he plans further to discuss quota management with the Inshore Fisheries Working Group; and if he will make a statement.

Jonathan R Shaw: DEFRA officials meet the Inshore Fisheries Working Group twice a year. The Group discusses a range of issues relevant to inshore fisheries. Should it be appropriate for me to meet the Group, I would be happy to do so.

Fisheries: Quotas

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether he has made any cross-year quota swaps between the quota allocations for 2008 and for 2009; and if he will make a statement.

Jonathan R Shaw: The possibility of 2008 to 2009 cross-year swaps will not be considered until much later in the year in the approach to the December Fisheries Council.

Fisheries: Quotas

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether he plans to carry out any quota swaps that would alter the availability of quota for the 10m and under fleet in Area Vlle; and if he will make a statement.

Jonathan R Shaw: The Marine and Fisheries Agency will explore all possibilities to gain extra quota, including swaps, to enhance the quota allocation for the 10 m and under fleet in Area Vlle, as elsewhere, for stocks where additional quota is needed.

Fisheries: Quotas

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the details of each quota swap made in 2007 were; and if he will make a statement.

Jonathan R Shaw: It is not possible, at a proportionate cost, to provide the details of each quota swap in 2007 as over 100 international swaps and some 1,370 domestic swaps were undertaken last year.

Fisheries: Quotas

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether he consulted recreational sea angling interests before quota swaps were made; and if he will make a statement.

Jonathan R Shaw: Recreational sea angling interests have not been consulted about quota allocations or swaps as they are not included in the quota allocation system.

Fisheries: Quotas

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether the Scottish Executive notified him of its proposed changes to quota management; and if he will make a statement.

Jonathan R Shaw: I was notified of the Scottish Executive's intentions regarding quota management at a meeting of Fisheries Ministers in Peterhead on 5 October 2007.

Fisheries: Quotas

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer of 6 February 2008,  Official Report, column 1289W, on fisheries: quotas, on what policies the Government engaged with the devolved administrations in the last 12 months.

Jonathan R Shaw: The Government have engaged with the devolved Administrations in the last 12 months on all areas of policy relevant to fisheries management in the UK.

Fisheries: Quotas

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer of 6 February 2008,  Official Report, column 1288W, on fisheries: quotas, whether the draft quota management change programme proposals suggested the decommissioning of 10m and under vessels.

Jonathan R Shaw: Decommissioning a proportion of the 10 m and under fleet was one of the proposals under consideration in the context of the quota management change programme.

Fishing Catches

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  whether he plans to introduce further discard pilot schemes; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what estimate he has made of the amount of fish discarded in UK waters in each month since January 2006 by  (a) UK vessels and  (b) non-UK vessels; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  if he will make a statement on the progress being made producing the EU Discard Atlas.

Jonathan R Shaw: It is not possible to provide figures for discards solely in UK waters. The discard estimates used by ICES in stock assessments are carried out in relation to particular sea areas (e.g. the North sea) rather than national waters. The figures for North sea ICES sub-area IV are set out in the following table. Figures from Scotland will not be available until April 2008.
	
		
			  Estimated tonnes discarded 
			  Country  Area  Species  Q1  Q2  Q3  Q4 
			 English and Welsh registered vessels North sea ICES sub-area IV Cod 86.8 20.9 57.9 55.0 
			   Haddock 41.6 102.2 134.8 43.4 
			   Plaice 37.1 23.9 59.8 15.1 
			   Sole 13.9 5.5 16.4 0.8 
			   Whiting 132.3 119.9 160.5 128.6 
		
	
	The UK is currently considering further work on discards in the context of the cod recovery plan and to deliver the required objectives on North sea whiting arising from last year's EU/Norway negotiations The proposal for a Discard Atlas intends to review the current knowledge about discards in EU fisheries and undertake a feasibility study on a fisheries information system for EU Fisheries. The study would require extensive work and co-operation between all European marine fisheries research institutes in order to achieve these aims. However, the finances on offer to perform the study are relatively limited, and at present it is not clear whether there will be any consortiums bidding for this work. The deadline for bid submissions was 25 February 2008.

Genetically Modified Organisms: Pesticides

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what research he has commissioned into the effect of GM crop technology on levels of pesticides use.

Phil Woolas: We have not commissioned any research on this topic.

Honours

Greg Pope: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many members of the Senior Civil Service in his Department have received an honour.

Jonathan R Shaw: We have three members of the DEFRA SCS in post who have received an honour during their time in the Department.
	We do not routinely keep data on:
	the number of awards held by individuals,
	awards that are not related to official duties,
	awards already held by staff before joining the Department.

Horse Racing: Animal Welfare

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent communications his Department has had with the British Horseracing Authority on the provisions of the Animal Welfare Act 2006, with particular regard to section 4; and if he will make a statement.

Jonathan R Shaw: There have been no recent communications between DEFRA and the British Horseracing Authority in relation to section 4 of the Animal Welfare Act 2006.

Inland Waterways

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of the effect of the withdrawal of British Waterways from the Cotswold Canal Partnership on the restoration programme of the Thames and Severn canal.

Jonathan R Shaw: The proposed restoration of the Cotswold canals has been endorsed in the Cotswold district council's local plan and the line of the canals is protected.
	British Waterways is just one of the 19 members of the partnership. The Cotswold Canals Partnership is committed to the restoration project and will continue with it, given the regeneration benefits in the long term. The timetable for the restoration of these canals will depend upon the availability of funding.
	We have always made clear that, while we welcomed the project, this was a matter for the British Waterways Board.
	British Waterways remains optimistic that the restoration will be achieved in the future.

Intimidation

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many cases of bullying have been reported in  (a) his Department and  (b) its agencies in each of the last 12 months.

Jonathan R Shaw: In the last 12 months, five cases of bullying have been reported in the Department and five cases of bullying have been reported by its agencies.
	The Department has in place an internal equal opportunities complaints procedure on how to address bullying in the work place. In the last three months, DEFRA has reorganised support mechanisms available to staff who perceive bullying in the workplace, re-launching an in-house trained pool of harassment, bullying and support advisors and an in-house mediation service.
	DEFRA also provides an employee support service, a free telephone service that provides confidential advice and counselling to all DEFRA employees on work-related or personal problems.
	Information on support mechanisms and the formal procedure for dealing with bullying in the work place is available on the intranet site and is accessible to all staff.

Land Drainage: Finance

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  how much the Environment Agency has allocated for land drainage works in each of the last five years, broken down by county;
	(2)  what the Environment Agency's expenditure on land drainage in each constituency in the East Riding of Yorkshire has been in each of the last 10 years.

Phil Woolas: A number of operating authoritiesthe Environment Agency, local authorities and internal drainage boardsare responsible for flood risk management, which includes land drainage.
	Expenditure on flood risk management is not broken down into separate categories, such as land drainage. Therefore, the information requested is not available.

Oilseed Rape: Durham

John Cummings: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what acreage of land was given over to oil seed rape production in the County of Durham in  (a) 2003,  (b) 2004,  (c) 2005,  (d) 2006 and (e) 2007.

Jonathan R Shaw: The area of oilseed rape (winter and spring) in the Durham county council area is shown in the following table.
	
		
			   Area of oilseed rape (hectares) 
			 2003 5,474 
			 2004 6,152 
			 2005 6,063 
			 2006 6,061 
			 2007 6,786 
			  Source:  June Agricultural Survey

Rights of Way

James Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  what the cost of the Discovering Lost Ways Project has been to date;
	(2)  how many unrecorded historic rights of way have been recorded on definitive maps and statements as a result of the Discovering Lost Ways Project; and if he will list them;
	(3)  what assessment he has made of the implications of changes to Natural England's budget for the future of the Discovering Lost Ways Project.

Jonathan R Shaw: The cost of the Discovering Lost Ways Project to date has been 4.5 million.
	The project concentrated initially on developing research procedures and evidence standards. Five lost way claims were lodged in Cheshire with the county council during a county-wide pilot of a claiming process. None of these have yet reached the stage of being recorded on the definitive map and statement.
	It is a matter for Natural England to propose in its corporate plan what priority to give to individual projects in the light of the financial settlement it has received. In the case of the Discovering Lost Ways Project, Natural England has recently concluded a fundamental review to ensure that its investment in the project is cost-effective, and that the approach delivers the best prospect of lasting progress in this area. I have recently been advised of these recommendations. Natural England will announce shortly how it will take the project forward.

River Colne

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will make a statement on the recent deaths of fish on the River Colne; how many fish have died; and what steps he has taken to determine the cause of death.

Jonathan R Shaw: On 8 February 2008, the Environment Agency received reports of fish deaths on the River Colne (which flows through Huddersfield in West Yorkshire) and investigated immediately. Initially, only stone loach were affected. However, as the event progressed, larger fish including trout and grayling were also found to be dead or dying. Samples were taken by Environment Agency officers and these are currently being analysed at its laboratory. Early analysis has not detected any pollutant which would have caused a fish kill. However, the Environment Agency believes that a spillage of pollution probably entered the river on 7 February and was slow-acting in nature.
	A follow-up survey found 893 dead stone loach, two dead minnows, 57 dead trout and 10 dead grayling in 1.1 km of river. The survey reported live fish and invertebrates in the affected reaches indicating that life in the river is recovering.

Rural Areas: Community Councils

Oliver Letwin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether his Department is working with other Departments to encourage recognition of the services provided by rural community councils.

Jonathan R Shaw: The Government recently recognised the importance of the rural community councils (RCCs) by announcing new funding worth over 10 million to the network over the next three years. We are keen to ensure that rural interests are taken fully into account in policy making and delivery across all Departments and at all levels of government. Where appropriate, DEFRA will continue to raise the potential contribution of the RCCs, as it has (with the Department for Communities and Local Government) in relation to local area agreements and the delivery of public service agreement 21, on building more cohesive, empowered and active communities.

Rural Areas: Housing

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what progress has been made as part of the feasibility study for a rural affordable housing fund since August 2007.

Jonathan R Shaw: holding answer 26 February 2008
	As part of its preparations for the comprehensive spending review (CSSR), during the summer of 2007, DEFRA asked the Housing Corporation to provide advice on the feasibility of a potential revenue funding programme to support activity to improve the delivery of affordable rural housing at local level. We always made it clear that this would be considered in the light of the CSR settlement.
	That advice has now been carefully considered. However, given the Government's undertakings on increases in housing supply generallywhich will benefit rural as well as urban areaswe have concluded that the value of a small Challenge Fund would not be enough to merit a switching of resources away from other priority areas of DEFRA's business.
	The Government have already set out proposals to increase the supply of housing and will be allocating 8.4 billion across the regions over the next three years. The Housing Corporation will be tasked with spending this money most effectively. The Government's, long-term housing supply and affordability public service agreement (PSA) target specifically covers rural as well as urban affordability.
	In addition, the Housing Green Paper sets out the Government's intention to establish a national target for rural affordable housing. The Department for Communities and Local Government (CLG) is in the process of developing this target, based on advice from the regional assemblies and the Housing Corporation. It is much more important to ensure that these measures work for rural areas, rather than to focus attention on small packets of funding from DEFRA.
	Together with CLG, we remain committed to addressing the affordable rural housing problem. At a national level, the policies and funding to deliver are largely in place, but we want to ensure that it feeds through into delivery.
	That is why my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister has asked the hon. Member for Truro and St. Austell (Matthew Taylor) to carry out a review to find out how land use and planning can better support business and deliver affordable housing in rural areas. The hon. Member will report to both DEFRA and CLG in the summer.

Scottish Fisheries Council

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  pursuant to the answer of 6 February 2008,  Official Report, column 1295W, on Scottish Fisheries Council, when he was first informed that the Scottish Executive was establishing this body; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what discussions he has had with counterparts in the Scottish Executive on the Scottish Fisheries Council meeting held on 22 January 2008; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  whether he plans to discuss the Scottish Fisheries Council with his Scottish counterpart; and if he will make a statement.

Jonathan R Shaw: DEFRA was alerted to the establishment of the Scottish Fisheries Council last autumn. The Scottish Fisheries Council was set up to advise Scottish Ministers on their devolved responsibilities. It has no role in relation to English fisheries or reserved UK responsibilities. I would therefore not expect to be involved in discussion of its deliberations, unless there is a particular issue arising from it which my Scottish Executive counterpart wishes to draw to my attention. DEFRA continues to liaise closely with the Scottish Executive and other devolved administrations over UK fisheries policy. I last met devolved Administrations' Fisheries Ministers on 6 February, but the Scottish Fisheries Council was not discussed.

Seas and Oceans: Treaty of Lisbon

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of the effects of the treaty of Lisbon on the Government's legislative proposals within the draft Marine Bill

Jonathan R Shaw: The text of the new Treaty was intended to clarify EU competence for conservation of marine biological resources. The proposals for the draft Marine Bill will not amend EU competencies so we do not envisage any changes to the proposals under the Bill.

Sexual Harassment

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many complaints of  (a) sexual harassment and  (b) sexual discrimination have been made by staff in (i) his Department and (ii) its agencies in the most recent year for which figures are available.

Jonathan R Shaw: The figures for this information relate to core DEFRA and the following agencies Animal Health, PSD, GDS, MFA, PSD, RPA, VLA and CEFAS.
	The internal formal equal opportunities complaints procedures, including support mechanisms available to staff who perceive harassment and discrimination, are on DEFRA's intranet site and all staff have access to them.
	Under the above procedures, in the last 12 months, a number of complaints have been made by staff; due to the small number of cases, the precise number of complaints cannot be provided on grounds of confidentiality.
	In the last three months, DEFRA has reorganised support mechanisms available to staff who perceive sexual harassment and discrimination, re-launching an in-house trained pool of harassment, bullying and support advisers and an in-house mediation service.
	DEFRA also provides an employee support service, a free telephone service that provides confidential advice and counselling to all DEFRA employees on work-related or personal problems.

Shropshire

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the value was of each grant provided by his Department, its associated agencies and non-departmental public bodies to  (a) Shrewsbury and Atcham borough council,  (b) Shropshire county council and  (c) Telford and the Wrekin borough council in (i) 2006-07 and (ii) 2007-08; and what grants have been planned for 2008-09.

Jonathan R Shaw: The value of grants provided by the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to each of these councils in 2006-07 and 2007-08, or planned for 2008-09, is given in the following table.
	
		
			   
			  Grant description  Shropshire county council  Shrewsbury and Atcham borough council  Telford and the Wrekin borough council 
			  2006-07
			 Animal health direct funding 140,165  32,400 
			 WPEG(1) (revenue) 164,538 39,267 159,485 
			 WPEG (capital) 164,538 39,267 159,485 
			 Contaminated land capital grant  26,970 62,975 
			 
			  2007-08
			 Animal health direct funding 127,332  30,618 
			 Aggregates levy sustainability fund 100,000   
			 WPEG( )(revenue) 296,261 (2) 167,086 
			 WPEG (capital) 296,261 (2) 167,086 
			 Contaminated land capital grant  (3)  
			 Air quality capital grant  25,000  
			 
			  2008-09
			 Animal health direct funding (4)  (4) 
			 Waste infrastructure capital grant 508,508  290,619 
			 Contaminated land capital grant (4)   
			 (1) Waste performance and efficiency grant (WPEG) (2) The waste performance and efficiency grant under Shropshire county council is an aggregate allocation for the county council and all the district councils in the Shropshire area (including Shrewsbury and Atcham borough council). WPEG was linked to local area agreements in 2007-08; allocations for all county and district councils were therefore paid as an aggregate sum for collective investment. Telford and the Wrekin is a separate unitary authority. (3) Two bids being assessed. (4) Not yet known. 
		
	
	Information on grants provided by the Department's agencies and non-departmental public bodies is held by the bodies themselves. This information is not held centrally.

Village Halls: Repairs and Maintenance

Brooks Newmark: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether his Department gives support to rural communities for the maintenance and improvement of village halls and community centres.

Jonathan R Shaw: Support is provided in many ways, both for the fabric of rural community buildings, including village halls, and for those who are responsible for running them. Over the past five years, through a variety of DEFRA programmes, including the Rural Social and Community Programme, the Aggregates Levy Sustainability Fund, LEADER+ programme and the Rural Enterprise Scheme, DEFRA has invested more than 12 million to support a wide range of rural community assets.

Whales

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs with which non-governmental organisations he has discussed whaling in each month since January 2007; and if he will make a statement.

Jonathan R Shaw: DEFRA and Foreign and Commonwealth Office officials regularly meet members of the Wildlife and Countryside LINK whale working group and the whalewatch coalition which together comprise the principal anti-whaling non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in the UK. My hon. Friend the Member for Brent, North (Barry Gardiner) met the group on 26 April 2007 and had frequent and close contact with NGOs present at the 59th meeting of the International Whaling Commission in Anchorage. Since taking up office in June 2007, I have attended an extremely productive meeting with officials and the group on 11 October, and have also met representatives of some NGOs individually, including the International Fund for Animal Welfare. The Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, (Hilary Benn) has also had discussions with Greenpeace.

Whales: Conservation

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  pursuant to the answer of 29 January 2008,  Official Report, column 246W, on whales, when he expects he will be able to list the countries in receipt of the protecting whales document without compromising the UK's efforts to persuade them to join the International Whaling Commission and adopt an anti-whaling stance; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  how many non-International Whaling Commission members he sent the Protecting Whales - A Global Responsibility document to; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  whether the 18 countries he has written to on anti-whaling are the only non-International Whaling Commission members he has  (a) contacted on whaling and  (b) distributed the Protecting Whales - A Global Responsibility document to; and if he will make a statement;
	(4)  pursuant to the answer of 6 February 2008,  Official Report, columns 1295-6W, which  (a) heads of state,  (b) heads of government,  (c) foreign counterparts,  (d) ambassadors and  (e) other foreign government officials he has contacted on whaling; and if he will make a statement;
	(5)  what estimate he has made of the number of  (a) pro-whaling and  (b) anti-whaling countries he has distributed the Protecting Whales - A Global Responsibility document; and if he will make a statement;
	(6)  what further measures he is taking to persuade nations that currently support whaling to oppose whaling; and if he will make a statement.

Jonathan R Shaw: As stated in my answer of 6 February 2008,  Official Report, column 1296W, I consider that it would be inappropriate to provide details of both the pro/anti-whaling countries and International Whaling Commission (IWC)/non-IWC member countries the UK has lobbied on this issue and the letters and documents sent to them. This is because this information could compromise our efforts to persuade countries to join (or in some cases not to join) the IWC or to support the UK in its opposition to whaling. As this process is ongoing it is unlikely that we will consider it appropriate to release these details in the medium term.
	Foreign and Commonwealth Office posts will continue to lobby countries in support of the UK's position, seeking to encourage new anti-whaling members to the IWC and endeavouring to change the opinion of governments which currently support whaling.

Whales: Conservation

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether he received responses to the  (a) original and  (b) revised Protecting Whales - a Global Responsibility document which he sent to other governments; and if he will make a statement.

Jonathan R Shaw: Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) posts regularly report back on this issue. The information that we receive informs subsequent discussions that the UK has with countries, whether or not they are members of the International Whaling Commission (IWC). Formal replies to ministerial approaches by way of letters are rare, but a lack of response does not necessarily indicate lack of action. I do not believe that any of those who joined the IWC last year actually responded to the letters that had been sent.

HEALTH

Abortion

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when his Department last undertook a review of international research evidence on  (a) the upper time limit for abortions and  (b) conditions for obtaining an abortion in each country in the European Union; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: The Department is commissioning the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists to review all research evidence on abortion, to update their guidance on Termination of pregnancy for fetal abnormality. Fetal awareness, and the Care of women requesting induced abortion.
	Legislative conditions for obtaining an abortion in the European Union is a matter for individual member states.

Accident and Emergency Departments

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many type 1 accident and emergency departments there are in England; and how many accident and emergency departments are co-located with an NHS walk-in centre.

Ben Bradshaw: Information is not available in the format requested. For the quarter ending in December 2007, national health service trusts in England self-reported a total of 203 type 1 (major) accident and emergency (A and E) services and 74 NHS walk-in centres in England, directly provided by the NHS, as part of the Department's QMAE dataset. However based on a recent departmental audit there are now at least 90 NHS walk-in centres in Englandthe balance, including six commuter walk-in centres, being commissioned by NHS organisations from independent sector providers.
	It is not possible to say whether any of these walk-in centre services are co-located with type 1 (major) departments.

Accident and Emergency Departments

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the impact of accident and emergency attendances of co-locating an accident and emergency department with a walk-in centre.

Ben Bradshaw: There has been limited assessment made. A study was funded by the Department and carried out by the University of Bristol, covering a small number of accident and emergency (A and E) departments that had established services they termed walk-in centres in or near the major A and E department. A publication based on this was published in the  Emergency Medicine Journal in 2007 (using information from 2004). This work did not draw definitive conclusions on the effect of walk-in centres on A and E attendances, and the effect varied from site to site.
	However, it is a matter for the local national health service to ensure the provision of urgent and emergency care services that are responsive to people's needs. What is important is that patients have access to the most appropriate care in a timely manner.

Accident and Emergency Departments

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many attendances at  (a) walk-in centres,  (b) minor injuries units and  (c) type one accident and emergency departments there were in each quarter since the quarter ending December 2002.

Ben Bradshaw: The available information is shown in the following table.
	
		
			   Quarter  Number of attendances at Type 1 (major) accident and emergency (A and E) services  Number of attendances at Type 3 (major) accident and emergency (A and E) services( 1)  Number of attendances at national health service walk-in centres 
			  
			 2002-03 
			  Q3 2,882,500 425,090  
			  Q4 2,930,874 408,342  
			 2003-04 
			  Q1 3,217,931 497,135 266,492 
			  Q2 3,281,186 530,917 385,447 
			  Q3 3,106,667 419,832 354,510 
			  
			  Q4 3,059,698 415,065 375,392 
			 2004-05 
			  Q1 3,377,850 505,666 459,096 
			  Q2 3,381,219 540,570 478,209 
			  Q3 3,257,398 450,033 516,853 
			  Q4 3,249,353 424,429 577,272 
			  
			 2005-06 
			  Q1 3,520,931 525,848 646,998 
			  Q2 3,403,089 546,747 634,489 
			  Q3 3,346,995 484,321 616,165 
			  Q4 3,282,671 489,873 612,305 
			  
			 2006-07 
			  Q1 3,509,770 583,148 629,417 
			  Q2 3,493,340 630,587 613,750 
			  Q3 3,307,210 539,723 563,233 
			  Q4 3,292,269 569,649 566,592 
			  
			 2007-08 
			  Q1 3,463,734 601,297 635,286 
			  Q2 3,384,988 611,183 614,381 
			  Q3 3,305,613 560,804 607,225 
			 (1) Minor injury units are likely to fall within the definition for type three (minor injury and illness) A and E services, however, this may also include other minor injury and illness units.   Note:  Attendances at NHS walk-in centres were included in the QMAE collection from Q1 2003-04.   Source:  Department of Health QMAE dataset.

Accident and Emergency Departments: Admissions

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of patients attending accident and emergency (AE) departments were subsequently admitted to hospital via AE in each quarter since the quarter ending December 2002.

Ben Bradshaw: The information requested is set out in the following table.
	
		
			   Quarter  Number of attendances at accident and emergency (A and E) departments (all types of A and E)  Number of emergency admissions via A and E (all types of A and E)  Proportion of attendances admitted (percentage) 
			 2002-03 Q3 3,435,018 574,983 16.7 
			  Q4 3,469,562 583,491 16.8 
			  
			 2003-04 Q1 4,132,497 584,987 14.2 
			  Q2 4,347,584 604,515 13.9 
			  Q3 4,027,622 637,406 15.8 
			  Q4 4,009,142 640,840 16.0 
			  
			 2004-05 Q1 4,502,578 666,393 14.8 
			  Q2 4,556,695 688,378 15.1 
			  Q3 4,374,927 721,394 16.5 
			  Q4 4,402,980 737,203 16.7 
			  
			 2005-06 Q1 4,859,578 733,409 15.1 
			  Q2 4,744,255 716,326 15.1 
			  Q3 4,605,971 751,348 16.3 
			  Q4 4,549,360 749,993 16.5 
			  
			 2006-07 Q1 4,891,724 739,588 15.1 
			  Q2 4,892,182 752,049 15.4 
			  Q3 4,559,139 768,784 16.9 
			  Q4 4,579,230 776,710 17.0 
			  
			 2007-08 Q1 4,856,732 757,249 15.6 
			  Q2 4,763,362 753,187 15.8 
			  Q3 4,625,426 788,405 17.0 
			  Note: Attendances at walk-in centres were included in the QMAE collection from quarter 1 2003-04.  Source: Department of Health QMAE dataset

Alcoholic Drinks: Labelling

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will bring forward proposals to introduce a standard labelling regime for alcoholic products, with particular reference to  (a) alcohol content in units and  (b) guidelines for daily alcohol consumption.

Dawn Primarolo: The Government announced in May 2007 that that they had reached a ground-breaking agreement with the alcohol industry, meaning that, by the end of 2008, most alcoholic drinks labels should include alcohol unit information and the daily sensible drinking guidelines. This agreement is United Kingdom-wide.
	In addition, the Government also announced revised wording on the advice on sensible drinking information on labels for pregnant women or those women who are trying to conceive. Although this is not formally part of the voluntary agreement that has been reached with the industry, it is being strongly encouraged to implement the pregnancy advice.
	'Safe. Sensible. Social. - the next steps in the National Alcohol Strategy', published in June 2007, includes a commitment by the Government to consult by the end of 2008 on possible legislative options should insufficient progress by the industry have been made then.

Alcoholic Drinks: Marketing

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions he has had on the introduction of a statutory code of practice on the marketing of alcohol.

Dawn Primarolo: The regulation of alcohol advertising in the United Kingdom is currently a mix of statutory regulation and co-regulation. The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) is responsible for enforcing the current rules.
	Ofcom and the ASA jointly published 'Young People and Alcohol Advertising' in November 2007, a research report on the impact of alcohol advertising on young people following the tightening of the advertising codes in October 2005.
	Broadly the research showed that the revised rules on alcohol advertising have ensured that fewer young people feel that television advertisements are aimed at them.
	In January 2008, the Department commissioned an independent national review, by the School of Health and Related Research at the University of Sheffield, of the evidence on how and in what circumstances price, advertising and other forms of promotion drive overall consumption of alcohol and alcohol-related harm. This will report in summer 2008.
	Depending upon the findings of this review, the Government have made it clear that they are prepared to consider strengthened controls, including, if necessary, legislation.

Alcoholic Drinks: Misuse

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the Answer of 9 January 2008, Official Report, column 575W, on alcoholic drinks: misuse, 
	(1)  if he will break down the information provided by the sex of those admitted;
	(2)  how many children aged  (a) under eight,  (b) eight to 12,  (c) 13 to 16 and  (d) 17 to 18 years were admitted to accident and emergency departments in each strategic health authority area in England as a result of drinking alcohol in the last (i) 12 months and (ii) five years, broken down by sex.

Dawn Primarolo: The information requested is not available in the format requested.
	Such information as is available for the 10 new strategic health authorities formed on 1 July 2006 has been placed in the Library.

Alcoholic Drinks: Misuse

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many admissions to hospital with an alcohol-related diagnosis via accident and emergency departments there were in  (a) the former Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire Strategic Health Authority area,  (b) the East of England Strategic Health Authority area,  (c) the West Suffolk Hospital NHS Trust area and  (d) the Suffolk Primary Care Trust area in each year since 1997; [Official Report, 19 May 2008, Vol. 476, c. 2MC.]
	(2)  how many admissions to hospital with an alcohol-related diagnosis via accident and emergency departments involving children under the age of 18 years there were in  (a) the former Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire Strategic Health Authority area,  (b) the East of England Strategic Health Authority area,  (c) the West Suffolk Hospital NHS Trust area and  (d) the Suffolk Primary Care Trust area in each year since 1997.

Dawn Primarolo: The following table shows finished in-year admission episodes where the patient was admitted via accident and emergency departments with an alcohol-related primary or secondary diagnosis. This is broken down by age and by the patient's primary care trust (PCT) and strategic health authority (SHA) of residence and West Suffolk Hospital NHS Trust. The latest available data are for 2006-07.
	
		
			   East of England SHA area( 1)  of residence  Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire SHA of residence  Suffolk PCT area of residence  West Suffolk Hospital NHS Trust 
			   Under 18  18 and over  n/k  Under 18  18 and over  n/k  Under 18  18 and over  n/k  Under 18  18 and over  n/k 
			 2006-07 497 9,522 6 203 4,700 * 37 1,124 * 13 562 * 
			 2005-06 485 8,970 * 242 4,357 * 50 924 * 22 388 * 
			 2004-05 538 7,945 * 258 3,680 * 85 1,315 * 37 377 * 
			 2003-04 498 6,682 * 235 3,461 * 83 953 * 29 331 * 
			 2002-03 440 5,223 * 196 2,607 * 61 850 * 15 267 * 
			 2001-02 458 5,006 * 196 2,463 * 83 663 * 18 236 * 
			 2000-01 432 4,776 51 207 2,267 48 66 617 * 18 207 * 
			 1999-2000 487 4,901 * 212 2,423 * 57 612 * 16 181 * 
			 1998-99 410 4,636 7 188 2,316 * 55 598 * 8 184 * 
			 1997-98 467 4,824 * 208 2,293 * 58 559 * 17 179 * 
			 Total   67,287   32,771   8,852   3,107 
			 (1) East of England SHA area includes the following historic organisations: Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire SHA Essex SHA Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire SHA.  Notes:  Finished in-year admissions: A finished in-year admission is the first period of in-patient care under one consultant within one health care provider, excluding admissions beginning before 1 April at the start of the data year. Admissions do not represent the number of in-patients, as a person may have more than one admission within the year.  Data Quality: HES are compiled from data sent by over 300 national health service trusts and PCTs in England. The Information Centre for health and social care liaises closely with these organisations to encourage submission of complete and valid data and seeks to minimise inaccuracies and the effect of missing and invalid data via HES processes. While this brings about improvement over time, some shortcomings remain.  Assessing growth through time: HES figures are available from 1989-90 onwards, During the years that these records have been collected, the NHS there have been ongoing improvements in quality and coverage. These improvements in information submitted by the NHS have been particularly marked in the earlier years and need to be borne in mind when analysing time series. Changes in NHS practice also need to be borne in mind when analysing time series. For example, a number of procedures may now be undertaken in out-patient settings and may no longer be accounted in the HES data. This may account for any reductions in activity over time.  All Diagnoses count of Mentions: These figures represent a count of all mentions of a diagnosis in any of the 14 diagnosis fields in the HES data set. Therefore, if a diagnosis is mentioned in more than one diagnosis field during an episode, all diagnoses are counted.  Diagnosis Codes Used: F10 - Mental and behavioural disorders due to use of alcohol K70 - Alcoholic liver disease T51 - Toxic effect of Alcohol  Ungrossed Data: Figures have not been adjusted for shortfalls in data (i.e. the data are ungrossed).  Low Numbers: Due to reasons of confidentiality, figures between 0 and 5 have been suppressed and replaced with * (an asterisk).  PCT and SHA Data Quality: PCT and SHA data were added to historic data years in the HES database using 2002-03 boundaries, as a one-off exercise in 2004. The quality of the data on PCT of treatment and SHA of treatment is poor in 1996-97, 1997-98 and 1998-99, with over a third of all finished episodes having missing values in these years. Data quality of PCT of general practitioner (GP) practice and SHA of GP practice in 1997-98 and 1998-99 is also poor, with a high proportion missing values where practices changed or ceased to exist. There is less change in completeness of the residence-based fields over time, where the majority of unknown values are due to missing postcodes on birth episodes. Users of time series analysis including these years need to be aware of these issues in their interpretation of the data.  Source: Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), the Information Centre for health and social care.

Ambulance Services

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make it his policy to collect centrally information on the numbers of ambulances operating in each  (a) constituency and  (b) region.

Ben Bradshaw: The Department has no current plans to collect centrally information on the numbers of ambulances operating in each constituency and region. Each ambulance service should plan to provide appropriate resources to meet local demand.

Ambulance Services: East Riding

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the response times of the Yorkshire Ambulance Service were in the East Riding of Yorkshire for each of the last two years, broken down by postcode.

Ben Bradshaw: The information requested is not collected centrally. The information of percentage of response within targets set is collected but is available only at Yorkshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust level. This information is available in the Library and at:
	www.ic.nhs.uk/statistics-and-data-collections/audits-and-performance/ambulance/ambulance-services-england-2006-07

Ambulance Services: Standards

John Stanley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many turnarounds took more than an hour in each ambulance authority in England during the last year for which figures are available.

Ben Bradshaw: This information is not collected centrally.

Antenatal Care

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many and what percentage of women did not receive the number of antenatal appointments recommended by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence in the last year for which figures are available, broken down by maternity unit.

Ann Keen: The information requested is not collected centrally.
	The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) were commissioned by the Department to produce this guideline (published in 2003) to define the type of antenatal care to be provided, including recommendations for the baseline care for pregnant women and national quality standards for the type, quantity and provision of antenatal care including screening programmes to support all women in receiving equitable care based on current best practice. This guideline is currently being revised and due to be published in March 2008. When published, it will include an assessment tool that will assist professionals in how to identify those women for whom additional care is recommended.

Arthritis: Drugs

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 13 December 2007,  Official Report, column 865W, on arthritis: drugs, what assessment he has made of the reasons for the trend since 2004 in  (a) the number and  (b) the net ingredient cost of prescription items dispensed in the community.

Dawn Primarolo: Since 2004 the number of prescription items dispensed in the community, in England and the net ingredient cost (NIC) of these drugs, for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, as listed at paragraphs 10.1.1 (Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs), 10.1.2 (Corticosteroids) and 10.1.3 (Rheumatic disease suppressant drugs) of the British National Formulary, have shown different trends in both use and cost. Some of the drugs listed are prescribed for other medical conditions.
	Factors likely to have contributed to the observed trends include:
	withdrawal of some medicines within the non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug group;
	specific medicines coming off patent;
	the publication of National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence guidance on newer disease-suppressing drugs.

Community Nurses: Disadvantaged

Linda Gilroy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to develop a Family Nurse Programme in the UK; and if he will make a statement.

Ann Keen: The joint Department of Health and Department for Children, Schools and Families Family Nurse Partnership intervention, supports vulnerable first time young mothers from the 16th week of pregnancy until the child is aged two years. It is being piloted across in England at 10 sites. 20 new pilot sites will be approved in March 2008.
	The position in the rest of the United Kingdom is a matter for the devolved Administrations.

Departmental ICT

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the  (a) start date,  (b) original planned completion date,  (c) current expected completion date,  (d) planned cost and  (e) current estimated cost is for each information technology project being undertaken by his Department and its agencies; and if he will make a statement.

Ben Bradshaw: The information technology (IT) projects currently being undertaken by the Department, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency and the NHS Purchasing and Supply Agency are shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Name of project  Start date of project  Original planned completion date of project  Current expected completion date of project  Planned cost of project (000)  Current estimated cost of project (000) 
			 NHS Reference Costs 2008 March 2007 December 2008 December 2008 1,154 1,227 
			 Delphi - DH intranet enhancement June 2006 July 2007 (1)On hold 399 357 
			 Management of electronic documents system enhancement September 2007 July 2008 July 2008 250 250 
			 Medical benefits system replacement January 2007 December 2007 (2)March 2008 680 705 
			 SHOWA -integration of DH human resource and finance systems January 2007 April 2008 April 2008 10,516 10,516 
			 Central alert system February 2008 July 2008 July 2008 432 432 
			 Advisory Committee for clinical excellence awards April 2007 February 2008 February 2008 700 706 
			 Enterprise Architecture -upgrade of DH application infrastructure June 2007 February 2008 March 2008 2.159 2.159 
			 Mobile working programme phase 1 January 2007 March 2008 March 2008 560 560 
			 Lotus notes 7 Upgrade - DH email system October 2006 October 2007 February 2008 1,960 (3)2,125 
			 Pharmacy replacement September 2008 November 2008 November 2008 150 150 
			 NHS car leasing December 2008 July 2008 July 2008 100 (4)120 
			 HR Enterprise Business Model January 2008 April 2008 April 2008 143 143 
			 Sentinel PV enhancements July 2007 March 2008 March 2008 336 336 
			 Sentinel PV data remediation July 2007 March 2008 March 2008 728 728 
			 (1) The Delphi project is on hold pending completion of work on the Departmental IT infrastructure. Three out of four project modules have been completed. (2) The Medical Benefits project is three months behind schedule and 25,000 over budget because of underestimation of supplier costs and unexpected technical complexities. (3) Lotus Notes upgrade budget overspend and delay in implementation caused by unexpected technical issues. (4) The NHS Car Leasing project is 20,000 over budget because the original planned cost was an estimate made for budgetary costs before the procurement exercise was complete. This has now been concluded and the confirmed development cost of the project is 120,000. 
		
	
	The IT projects currently being undertaken by Connecting for Health are shown as follows:
	
		
			  Connecting for health( 1) 
			  Programme area  Contractor  Lifetime contract value ( million) 
			 Spine BT 620 
			 N3 broadband network BT 530 
			 Choose and Book core contract Atos Origin(SchlumbergerSema) 64.5 
			 London Local Service Provider (LSP) BT CCA 996 
			 North East LSP Accenture 1,099 
			 North West/West Midlands LSP CSC 973 
			 Eastern LSP Accenture 934 
			 Southern LSP Fujitsu 986 
			 Total  6,202.5 
			 (1 )There is no single national start or completion date for the national programme for information technology as a whole, or for its individual systems and services. The aim is to achieve substantial integration of health and social care information systems in England under the national programme by 2010. Clearly systems will need to be upgraded in the light of new technology and new national health service requirements beyond that date. The approach, in line with best practice, is to implement new services incrementally, avoiding a 'big bang' approach, and providing increasingly richer functionality over time.  The value of the original contracts let in 2003-04 for the core components of the national programme amounts to 6.2 billions over ten years, and this has not increased.

Departmental Public Expenditure

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 21 January 2008,  Official Report, column 1689W, on departmental public expenditure, for what reason the expired vaccines were not used, broken down by type of vaccine.  [Official Report, 26 March 2008, Vol. 474, c. 2MC.]

Dawn Primarolo: Changes in vaccination policy can result in changes to the vaccines offered in the routine childhood immunisation programme. While we aim to keep vaccine wastage to a minimum, such policy changes can lead to some vaccines being written off if they are no longer used in the routine programme.
	The reasons why expired vaccines were not used are listed as follows.
	Some BCG vaccine was written off following the change in BCG vaccination policy in 2005. The programme changed from a universal to targeted programme, leading to a reduction in demand.
	In 2005 demand for MMR vaccine increased following the mumps outbreaks in older teenagers. For a short period, the suppliers could only provide additional supplies of MMR vaccine destined for other countries, and hence with different product labelling than UK stock. Even though the vaccine itself was identical to UK licensed product, the labelling difference meant that the vaccine was not licensed for use in the UK. Once further supplies of UK licensed vaccine were received, the unlicensed MMR vaccine was no longer used, leading to write off.
	In 2004 vaccines containing live oral polio were removed from the childhood programme and replaced with three new combination vaccines containing an inactivated polio vaccine. This resulted in the diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis (DTaP) vaccine; and the tetanus and diphtheria (Td) vaccine becoming redundant.
	In 2003 a major Hib catch up campaign was launched using a single antigen Hib (haemophilus influenzae type B) vaccine. This vaccine is not used routinely in the childhood programme, and some stock left over from the Hib catch-up campaign date expired in 2006-07.

Departmental Visits Abroad

Jeremy Browne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many overseas visits by officials in his Department took place in each of the last 10 years; which countries were visited; and how much was spent on such visits in each such year.

Ben Bradshaw: Information on the number and cost of these visits would incur disproportionate cost to obtain. However, all official travel is undertaken in accordance with the Department's travel policy and the Civil Service Code.
	Information on the Government's annual publication about overseas travel by Cabinet Ministers can be found at:
	www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/propriety_and_ethics/ministers.aspx
	This list includes details about the number of officials accompanying the Minister when non-scheduled travel is used for the trip. Copies of lists covering information going back to the 1997-98 financial year are available in the Library.

Endometriosis National Awareness Week

Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  if his Department will take steps to support Endometriosis National Awareness Week on 3 to 9 March;
	(2)  what advice his Department gives primary care trusts on treatment of endometriosis.

Ann Keen: It is not a matter for the Department to give advice to commissioning bodies on treatment of particular conditions. It is for the Royal Colleges to give advice to practitioners while the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) provides national guidance on promoting good health and preventing and treating ill health. NICE guidance suggests the use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as ibuprophen in the first instance for the treatment of endometriosis as well as trialling the contraceptive pill. If neither of these treatments work, then NICE recommends surgery to remove endometrial deposits. If conservative methods do not work, and symptoms remain severe then NICE recommends hysterectomy, with or without removal of the ovaries.
	The Department currently provides core funding under its section 64 scheme to the National Endometriosis Society (now known as Endometriosis UK) and has also funded Endometriosis UK for a project concerned with developing information services for endometriosis. We wish the Endometriosis National Awareness Week every success.

Exercise

Andy Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much has been spent on exercise referral schemes in each of the last five years.

Dawn Primarolo: Exercise referral schemes are run in most primary care trusts (PCTs) and there are various models. For example, some leisure centres will offer cut price or free exercise sessions for an agreed period. The criteria for referral also vary across localities.
	The Department does not keep a national register of practices which offer these schemes, the number of participants or costs of exercise referral schemes. These details are held locally by PCTs or local authorities.
	The Government are currently piloting a physical activity care pathway in London, intended to provide health practitioners in general practice with the tools they need to promote physical activity and 'signpost' patients to a wide range of community-based opportunities for exercise, including exercise referral schemes.

Food: Advertising

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he plans to take on producing codes governing the advertising and promotion of unhealthy foods to children across non-broadcast media; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: The advertising industry's Committee on Advertising Practice (CAP) is responsible for the self-regulatory British Code of Advertising, Sales Promotions and Direct Marketing, which contains rules of the content of advertising in non-broadcast media. In July 2007, CAP updated this code to tighten the rules governing the advertising of food and drink to children in line with new restrictions on broadcast advertising. The Department is working with key external stakeholders to address concerns about other forms of marketing including in store promotions and food packaging.

General Practitioners: Bexley

David Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of people had a consultation with their GP within 48 hours of requesting an appointment in Bexley borough in the latest period for which information is available.

Ben Bradshaw: The information is not collected in the format requested. Data are held at primary care trust (PCT) level, not constituency or borough level. The general practitioner (GP) Patient Survey 2007 showed that 84 per cent. of people living in Bexley Care Trust area reported having a consultation with their GP within 48 hours of requesting an appointment, compared with a national figure of 86 per cent. 2007 is the latest period for which data are available.
	The public service agreement target is for all patients to have the opportunity to see a GP within 48 hours. GP practices that achieve national access standards as measured by the results of the national GP Patient Survey are rewarded. Using the survey data, PCTs are working with local practices to deliver improvements in GP access in areas with the poorest reported satisfaction.

General Practitioners: Kent

John Stanley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many GP super clinics he plans to establish in Kent.

Ben Bradshaw: Following the announcement by the Secretary of State on 10 October 2007, to invest new resources into primary medical care, every primary care trust (PCT) in the country will be procuring a new general practitioner-led health centre during 2008-09. This includes the three PCTs in Kent.

General Practitioners: Telephone Services

Linda Riordan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will take steps to replace 0844 numbers with 0800 numbers for patients calling their GPs.

Ben Bradshaw: The Department is currently gathering evidence on the use of 0844 numbers in general practice and will consider what further action is necessary in light of that evidence.

General Practitioners: Telephones

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidelines he has issued to primary care trusts on the use of premium rate telephone numbers by GPs for patients calling their surgeries.

Ben Bradshaw: General medical services (GMS) contractors were banned from using premium rate numbers (09 or 087) via The National Health Service (Primary Medical Services) (Miscellaneous Amendments) Regulations SI 2005 No. 893. The ban came into force in April 2005.
	The ban did not include 084 numbers. However, on the 11 April 2005, the Department wrote to primary care trust chief executives advising them to discourage general practitioner practices from changing from geographically based numbers to '084' numbers until after the outcome of the Ofcom consultation was known.
	The Department is currently gathering evidence on the use of 0844 numbers in general practice and will consider what further action is necessary in light of that evidence.

General Practitioners: Working Hours

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many letters his Department received from people asking for general practitioner surgeries to open for longer hours in the last period for which figures are available.

Ben Bradshaw: Since 1 October 2007 the Department has received 86 letters from members of the public that supported extended opening hours for general practitioner (GP) practices. In addition, patient surveys and public discussions have consistently told us that improving access to GP services should be a priority for the national health service.
	Last year's GP patient survey (the largest of its kind) showed that 16 per cent. of people were unhappy with the opening hours of their GP practice: that is nearly six and a half million unsatisfied patients.

Genetically Modified Organisms: Labelling

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health for what reason imported produce from outside the EU derived from GM components is not required to be labelled as such.

Dawn Primarolo: All food and feed imported into the United Kingdom from third countries, or in free circulation within the European Union (EU), must comply with relevant EU legislation. The labelling requirements for genetically modified (GM) food and feed are set out in the directly applicable Regulations (EC) Nos. 1829/2003 (GM Food and Feed) and 1830/2003 ('Traceability and Labelling of genetically modified organisms (GMOs)'), the intention of which is to facilitate consumer choice. GM food and feed may only be marketed in the EU if it has been authorised following a process which involves a rigorous safety assessment.
	Food and feed which contains, consists of, or has been produced from authorised GMOs has to be labelled as such. There is no provision in the legislation for 'non-GM' and 'GM free' labelling. Such labelling may, however, be used in the UK on a voluntary basis, as appropriate to the product concerned. The Food Standards Agency has expressed the view that the use of the terms 'non-GM' and 'GM free' should mean that food and feed labelled in this way is completely free from the use of GM technology.

Gynaecology: Endometriosis

Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research his Department has commissioned on the treatment of endometriosis.

Dawn Primarolo: The Department's National Institute for Health Research is funding the following study:
	Birmingham Women's Health Care NHS TrustEndometriosis and cultural diversity: improving services for minority ethnic women.
	Research on endometriosis also forms part of the work programme of the institute's Oxford and Hammersmith, St. Mary's and Imperial College Biomedical Research Centres.
	Over the last 10 years, the main part of the Department's total expenditure on health research has been devolved to and managed by national health service organisations. Details of individual NHS supported research projects undertaken during that time, including a number concerned with endometriosis, are available on the archived national research register at:
	https://portal.nihr.ac.uk/Pages/NRRArchiveSearch.aspx.
	The Medical Research Council (MRC) is one of the main agencies through which the Government support medical and clinical research. The MRC is an independent body that receives its grant in aid from the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills.
	In 2005-06, the MRC spent 2.3 million on endometriosis and the general physiology of the endometrium.
	Recent MRC-funded research projects of particular relevance to endometriosis include:
	Dr. C. M. Becker, University of OxfordTransgenic mouse model of endometriosis;
	Professor H. Mardon, University of OxfordMolecular dissection of extracellular matrix signalling and function in the human endometrium;
	Dr. R. Varma, University of BirminghamIdentification and importance of tumour suppressor genes in endometriosis and endometriosis-associated ovarian cancer; and
	Dr. K. T. Zondervan, University of OxfordThe genetic epidemiology of endometriosis.
	MRC-funded research at the MRC Human Reproductive Sciences Unit in Edinburgh also focuses on uterine biology including endometriosis. Further information about the unit's research can be found at:
	www.hrsu.mrc.ac.uk/themes/uterine_biology/uterine_ biology.php

Health Education: Elderly

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent steps his Department has taken to encourage elderly people to keep active and fit.

Dawn Primarolo: The Department and the national health service promote the benefits of physical activity to professionals and people of all ages and stages of life. The Department is keen to target those individuals most at risk of inactivity for whom the greatest health gains can be made. Primary care trusts are required to have systematic and managed health promotion programmes, including action on exercise, that are responsive to local needs.
	The Department is piloting a physical activity care pathway model in a number of general practitioner practices in London. Many sedentary older people will benefit from the care pathway model, which aims to encourage behaviour change and increased physical activity levels through a patient led approach. The care pathway signposts patients to a range of options to increase their activity levels, including exercise referral schemes where appropriate.
	Other targeted actions include the national step-o-meter programme, which provides health professionals with free pedometers for loan to adult patients and the Department's local exercise action pilot scheme which included interventions targeted across the life course, including older people.

Health Professions: Labour Turnover

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the average length of service of  (a) nurses,  (b) NHS trust chief executives,  (c) midwives,  (d) nursing support staff,  (e) manual staff,  (f) GPs,  (g) dentists,  (h) consultants and  (i) staff and associate doctors in each of the last 10 years.

Ann Keen: This information is not collected centrally.
	An individual's length of service may be affected by many factors, including age at the time of qualification, any career breaks or even retirement.

Health Professions: Pay

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the average final salary of  (a) nurses,  (b) NHS trust chief executives,  (c) midwives,  (d) nursing support staff,  (e) manual staff,  (f) GPs,  (g) dentists,  (h) consultants and  (i) staff and associate doctors at the end of service in each of the last 10 years.

Ann Keen: The information requested is not available centrally.

Health Professions: Pay

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the number and proportion of  (a) nurses,  (b) NHS trust chief executives,  (c) midwives,  (d) nursing support staff,  (e) manual staff,  (f) GPs and  (g) dentists in each pay band under the Agenda for Change in each year since 2004; and what the lower and upper limits were in each pay band in each year.

Ann Keen: The proportion of nurses, midwives and nursing support staff in each pay band under Agenda for Change are available using the occupational codes within organisations which are now on the Electronic Staff Record (ESR). The following table outlines this information. Data presented are for the national health service in England.
	
		
			  Estimated proportion of staff in each Agenda for Change band, as at end of December 2007( 1) 
			  Percentage 
			   Qualified nurses (including midwives)  Qualified nurses (excluding midwives)  Midwives  Support to doctors and nurses( 2) 
			 Band 11 
			 Band 243 
			 Band 334 
			 Band 417 
			 Band 5 50 52 8 3 
			 Band 6 31 29 63 1 
			 Band 7 16 15 27 1 
			 Band 8a 2 2 1  
			 Band 8b 1 1   
			 Band 8c 
			 Band 8d 
			 Band 9 
			  Denotes no staff in that pay band, or number of staff in that pay band rounds to 0 per cent. (1) Data presented for qualified nurses, midwives and support to doctors and nursing staff. (2) This group includes healthcare assistants, support workers, nursery nurses, nursing assistants, clerical and administrative clinical support and maintenance and works staff working in clinical support, in line with census classifications.  Notes: 1. Figures based on a sample of 88 per cent. of NHS organisations. Organisations included are those which were paying staff via ESR by December 2007. 2. Figures based on full-time equivalent staff in each grade.  Source: Data taken from the Electronic Staff Record (ESR) Data Warehouse for December 2007, extracted 19 February 2008. 
		
	
	It is not possible to present data for 'manual staff' as this is not a recognised occupational code category.
	NHS chief executives, general practitioners and dentists are not covered by the Agenda for Change pay system.
	Only estimated proportions in each band are presented. As the ESR does not yet cover all NHS organisations, it is not possible to produce exact numbers of staff in each pay band.
	The lower and upper band limits of the Agenda for Change bands from November 2007 are shown in the following table:
	
		
			   
			  Band  Minimum  Maximum 
			 Band 1 12,182 13,253 
			 Band 2 12,577 15,523 
			 Band 3 14,437 17,257 
			 Band 4 16,853 20,261 
			 Band 5 19,683 25,424 
			 Band 6 23,458 31,779 
			 Band 7 28,313 37,326 
			 Band 8a 36,112 43,335 
			 Band 8b 42,064 52,002 
			 Band 8c 50,616 62,402 
			 Band 8d 60,669 75,114 
			 Band 9 71,646 90,607

Health Services: Cancer

Mark Simmonds: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 30 January 2008,  Official Report, columns 464-6W, what his estimate is of the costs of  (a) community rehabilitation and care,  (b) additional monitoring and treatment,  (c) ambulatory care and (d) programme management and monitoring in each of the next five financial years.

Ann Keen: The estimated costs of community rehabilitation and care, additional monitoring and treatment, ambulatory care and programme management and monitoring for the next five financial years are in the following table. Estimated costs for additional monitoring and treatment and ambulatory care are not available separately as the additional treatment may occur in a number of non-inpatient settings including ambulatory care.
	
		
			   million 
			   Community rehabilitation and care  Additional monitoring, treatment and ambulatory care  Programme management and monitoring 
			 2008-09 5.6 25.3 5.0 
			 2009-10 10.2 46.3 5.0 
			 2010-11 17.5 79.9 5.0 
			 2011-12 26.8 122.1 5.0 
			 2012-13 39.6 180.6 5.0

Health Services: Neurology

David Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department is taking to encourage collaboration between specialist centres in England and Welsh local health boards to improve levels of treatment in England for patients resident in Wales diagnosed with neuromuscular disorders.

Ann Keen: The Department has no specific plans to further encourage collaboration between specialist centres in England and Welsh local health boards.
	It is the responsibility of Welsh local health boards to commission services to meet the needs of their local population living with neuromuscular disorders. This can include the commissioning, and funding, of diagnosis and treatment at specialist neuromuscular centres in England if deemed appropriate.

Health Services: Overseas Visitors

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the  (a) number and  (b) cost of finished consultant episodes of treatment given to citizens of other European Economic Area member states in the UK in 2006-07.

Dawn Primarolo: Data from Leeds Primary Care Trust, who collect data from national health service trusts on the number of overseas visitors to the United Kingdom from bilateral health care agreement countries, show that in 2006-07, 5,766 European Economic Area (EEA) citizens were treated on the NHS of which 5,033 were visitors and 733 were referrals. Cost of treatment totalled 15,051,634 of which 10,585,167 was for visitors and 4,466,467 was for referrals. The way in which the NHS collects this data means that they cannot be broken down by consultant episode.
	However, those EEA citizens who are in the UK on a more long term basis, for example to work or to study, or because they are now ordinarily resident in the UK, are not included. Successive Governments have not required the NHS to provide these statistics.

Health Services: Overseas Visitors

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the number of  (a) citizens of other European Economic Area (EEA) member states who received health treatment in the UK and  (b) UK citizens who received health treatment in other EEA member states in 2006-07 under reciprocal health care arrangements.

Dawn Primarolo: Data from Leeds PCT who collect data from national health service trusts on the number of overseas visitors to the United Kingdom show that in 2006-07, 5,766 European Economic Area (EEA) citizens were treated on the NHS of which 5,033 were visitors and 733 were referrals.
	In 2006-07 the UK was competent for the health care of approximately 164,000 pensioners living in other EEA member states. Due to the scale of the total claims that the UK received and because of the nature of the bilateral agreements that the UK has with some EEA countries, we do not have accurate figures of the total number of UK citizens treated in other EEA member states.

Health Services: Property

Mark Simmonds: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether he plans to build, purchase or rent any capital or land assets under the Inpatient Management Programme.

Ann Keen: As stated in the 'Cancer Reform Strategy' the Inpatient Management Programme will focus initially on providing support and guidance on service improvements for a range of patients.
	Capital and accommodation needs arising out of changes to models of care, such as an increase in treatments provided outside the inpatient setting, will be met by primary care trusts.

Health Services: Standards

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  pursuant to the answer of 7 January 2008,  Official Report, column 108W, on health services: standards, if he will place in the Library a copy of the presentation given by Tricia Cable of the Yorkshire and Humber Strategic Health Authority at the meeting of 5 June 2007;
	(2)  on what clinical evidence his Department based its decision that the 18 week referral to treatment target would only apply to 95 per cent. of non-admitted patients and 90 per cent. of admitted patients;
	(3)  on what date his Department decided that the 18 week referral to treatment target would only apply to 95 per cent. of non-admitted patients and 90 per cent. of admitted patients.

Ben Bradshaw: A copy of the presentation given by Tricia Cable has been placed in the Library.
	The operational standards for 18 weeks are based on evidence from studies of over 3,000 patient pathways and over 3,700 out-patient bookings. In addition to gathering evidence on clinically complex cases, these studies looked into the impact of patient choice and co-operation on patient pathways.
	On 13 December 2007, the Department confirmed the operational standards for 18 weeks in the operating framework for the national health service in England 2008-09.

HIV Infection

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the  (a) mean and  (b) median waiting time was from diagnosis of HIV to treatment in (i) 2004-05, (ii) 2005-06 and (iii) 2006-07.

Dawn Primarolo: These data are not collected centrally.

Hospitals: Thames Gateway

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he plans to make an announcement on new hospital provision serving the Thames Gateway area; and if he will make a statement.

Ben Bradshaw: Primary care trusts (PCTs) in the Thames Gateway area are responsible for commissioning health services for existing and new populations in the region. It is for the local health economy (national health service trusts, PCTs and strategic health authorities) to develop proposals and present business cases with value for money and affordable solutions for new hospital and primary care facilities.
	More generally, the Government's plans for investment in the Thames Gateway were published in November 2007 by the Department for Communities and Local Government in 'Thames Gateway: The Delivery Plan.' Chapter three, 'Quality of Life', refers to investment in health care and sets out details of the hospital and primary care facilities either already completed or due to open by 2010-11.

Incontinence: Medical Equipment

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what intended savings are expected to result from the review of Part IX of the Drug Tariff; what the costs to date of the review have been; and what savings have been achieved by the current price freeze on Part IX products;
	(2)  what the cost of consultations relating to Part IX of the Drug Tariff was in  (a) 2005,  (b) 2006 and  (c) 2007; and how much was spent in each year on consultancy work relating to the consultations.

Dawn Primarolo: The review of part IX of the Drug Tariff is ongoing, but in the last consultation entitled Arrangements under Part IX of the Drug Tariff for the provision of stoma and incontinence appliances - and related services - to Primary Care. Revised Proposals, which was published in September 2007, proposed options regarding the reimbursement for item price that would reduce reimbursement for the cost of appliances to the national health service by 25 million.
	The review of part IX of the Drug Tariff is addressing 487 million of NHS spend has been conducted in two phases:
	Phase 1, which addressed dressings and reagents, concluded in October 2006 and provided savings of 24 million per year for primary care. The cost for this phase of activity was 1.3 million (excluding VAT); and
	Phase 2, which is addressing stoma and urology, has cost 0.8 million (excluding VAT) to date.
	The agreement that allows companies to seek price increases related to products listed in part IX of the Drug Tariff expired in April 2006. Therefore, the application for price increases related to the current part IX consultation for products contained in parts A, B and C has been suspended. It has been estimated that the value of this suspension to date is 14.1 million between April 2006 and November 2007.
	The in-year costs are shown in the following table.
	
		
			million 
			 2005 0.1 
			 2006 1.2 
			 2007 0.8 
		
	
	These costs were for the services of professional advisers. The Department's costs are part of its ongoing operational budget.

Incontinence: Medical Equipment

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health for what reason an impact assessment was not produced alongside the public consultation on changes to Part IX of the Drug Tariff; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: Two partial regulatory impact assessments have been published alongside the public consultation on proposed new arrangements under Part IX of the Drug Tariff for the provision of stoma and incontinence appliances in primary care: one in October 2005 and November 2006. Copies of these are available in the Library. At the time the Department felt there was no material difference between the consultations which started in September 2007 and November 2006 and decided that the previous partial impact assessments would be sufficient.
	A final impact assessment will be published before any decisions are made and all parties will have the opportunity to comment on it.

Midwives

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of midwifery graduates started working as midwives in the NHS within six months of graduation in each of the last five financial years.

Ann Keen: The percentage of midwifery graduates who started working as midwives in the national health service within six months of graduation is not collected. However the annual work force census on 31 September 2006 showed there were 24,469 qualified midwives working in the NHS in England an increase of 2,084 (9 per cent.) since 1997.

Midwives: Manpower

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many midwives were employed in each  (a) region and  (b) NHS Trust in each financial year since 1997-98, broken down by pay band.

Ann Keen: The number of midwives that were employed in each strategic health authority and national health service trust as of 30 September each year since 1997 has been placed in the Library. The NHS workforce census does not break the figures down by pay band.

Midwives: Student Wastage

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the dropout rate from midwifery degree courses has been at each institution offering such degrees in each of the last five years.

Ann Keen: Information on what the dropout rate from midwifery degree courses has been at each institution offering such degrees in each of the last five years is not held centrally. These data will be held by each strategic health authority as part of their contract monitoring processes.

NHS Foundation Trusts

Peter Soulsby: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which organisations have been  (a) commissioned and  (b) contracted to manage NHS foundation trust ballots.

Ben Bradshaw: The Department does not hold this information. Information relating to the elections to the governing bodies of individual national health service foundation trusts can be obtained by contacting the Chairmen of the respective trusts.

NHS: Ancillary Staff

Shailesh Vara: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of staff in each acute hospital trust is classified as non-medical.

Ann Keen: Non-medical national health service staff comprise the entire work force apart from medical which is made up of doctors and dentists. The non-medical work force includes all nursing, midwifery and health visiting staff, all scientific, therapeutic and technical staff including all allied health professions, ambulance staff and NHS infrastructure support staff.
	The breakdown in proportion for each acute hospital trust is shown in the following table.
	
		
			Percentage non-medical staff 
			 RA2 Royal Surrey County Hospital NHS Trust 87 
			 RA3 Weston Area Health NHS Trust 92 
			 RA4 East Somerset NHS Trust 91 
			 RA7 United Bristol Healthcare NHS Trust 89 
			 RA9 South Devon Healthcare NHS Trust 90 
			 RAE Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust 89 
			 RAJ Southend Hospital NHS Trust 91 
			 RAL Royal Free Hampstead NHS Trust 87 
			 RAN Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Trust 89 
			 RAP North Middlesex University Hospital NHS Trust 88 
			 RAS Hillingdon Hospital NHS Trust 90 
			 RAX Kingston Hospital NHS Trust 88 
			 RBA Taunton and Somerset NHS Trust 90 
			 RBB Royal National Hospital for Rheumatic Disorders NHS Foundation Trust 96 
			 RBD West Dorset General Hospitals NHS Trust 91 
			 RBF Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre NHS Trust 91 
			 RBK Walsall Hospitals NHS Trust 93 
			 RBL The Wirral Hospital NHS Trust 93 
			 RBN St. Helens and Knowsley Hospitals NHS Trust 91 
			 RBQ The Cardiothoracic CentreLiverpool NHS Trust 93 
			 RBS Royal Liverpool Children's Hospital NHS Trust 90 
			 RBT The Mid Cheshire Hospital NHS Trust 92 
			 RBV Christie Hospital NHS Trust 92 
			 RBZ North Devon Healthcare NHS Trust 90 
			 RC1 Bedford Hospital NHS Trust 90 
			 RC3 Baling Hospital NHS Trust 87 
			 RC9 Luton and Dunstable Hospital NHS Trust 89 
			 RCB York Hospitals NHS Trust 91 
			 RCC Scarborough and North East Yorkshire Health Care NHS Trust 92 
			 RCD Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust 90 
			 RCF Airedale NHS Trust 92 
			 RCU Sheffield Children's Hospital NHS Trust 89 
			 RCX The Queen Elizabeth Hospital King's Lynn NHS Trust 90 
			 RD1 Royal United Hospital Bath NHS Trust 89 
			 RD3 Poole Hospital NHS Trust 90 
			 RD7 Heatherwood and Wexham Park Hospitals NHS Trust 91 
			 RD8 Milton Keynes General Hospital NHS Trust 90 
			 RDD Basildon and Thurrock General Hospital NHS Trust 92 
			 RDE Essex Rivers Healthcare NHS Trust 90 
			 RDU Frimley Park Hospital NHS Foundation Trust 91 
			 RDZ Royal Bournemouth and Christchurch Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust 92 
			 RE9 South Tyneside NHS Foundation Trust 94 
			 REF Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust 89 
			 REM Aintree Hospitals NHS Trust 89 
			 REN Clatterbridge Centre for Oncology NHS Trust 91 
			 REP Liverpool Women's NHS Foundation Trust 92 
			 RET Walton Centre for Neurology and Neurosurgery NHS Trust 90 
			 RF4 Barking, Havering and Redbridge Hospitals NHS Trust 89 
			 RFF Barnsley Hospital NHS Foundation Trust 90 
			 RFR The Rotherham NHS Foundation Trust 92 
			 RFS Chesterfield Royal Hospital NHS Foundation Trust 92 
			 RFW West Middlesex University Hospital NHS Trust 86 
			 RG2 Queen Elizabeth Hospital NHS Trust 87 
			 RG3 Bromley Hospitals NHS Trust 88 
			 RGC Whipps Cross University Hospital NHS Trust 89 
			 RGM Papworth Hospital NHS Foundation Trust 91 
			 RGN Peterborough and Stamford Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust 95 
			 RGP James Paget Healthcare NHS Trust 91 
			 RGQ Ipswich Hospital NHS Trust 90 
			 RGR West Suffolk Hospitals NHS Trust 90 
			 RGT Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust 86 
			 RGZ Queen Mary's Sidcup NHS Trust 87 
			 RH8 Royal Devon and Exeter NHS Foundation Trust 91 
			 RHM Southampton University Hospitals NHS Trust 87 
			 RHQ Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust 90 
			 RHU Portsmouth Hospitals NHS Trust 89 
			 RHW Royal Berkshire and Battle Hospitals NHS Trust 88 
			 RJ1 Guys and St Thomas NHS Foundation Trust 87 
			 RJ2 The Lewisham Hospital NHS Trust 89 
			 RJ5 St. Mary's NHS Trust 82 
			 RJ6 Mayday HealthCare NHS Trust 88 
			 RJ7 St. George's Healthcare NHS Trust 86 
			 RJC South Warwickshire General Hospitals NHS Trust 88 
			 RJD Mid Staffordshire General Hospitals NHS Trust 91 
			 RJE University Hospital of North Staffordshire NHS Trust 90 
			 RJF Burton Hospitals NHS Trust 90 
			 RJH Good Hope Hospital NHS Trust 92 
			 RJL Northern Lincolnshire and Goole Hospitals NHS Trust 92 
			 RJN East Cheshire NHS Trust 92 
			 RJR Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust 90 
			 RJZ King's College Hospital NHS Trust 83 
			 RK5 Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Trust 93 
			 RK9 Plymouth Hospitals NHS Trust 87 
			 RKB University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust 88 
			 RKE The Whittington Hospital NHS Trust 87 
			 RL1 Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic and District Hospital NHS Trust 92 
			 RL4 The Royal Wolverhampton Hospitals NHS Trust 90 
			 RLN City Hospitals Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust 91 
			 RLQ Hereford Hospitals NHS Trust 90 
			 RLT The George Eliot Hospital NHS Trust 91 
			 RLU Birmingham Women's Healthcare NHS Trust 93 
			 RM1 Norfolk and Norwich Health Care NHS Trust 89 
			 RM2 South Manchester University Hospitals NHS Trust 88 
			 RM3 Salford Royal Hospitals NHS Trust 89 
			 RM4 Trafford Healthcare NHS Trust 92 
			 RMC Bolton Hospitals NHS Trust 91 
			 RMP Tameside and Glossop Acute Services NHS Trust 90 
			 RN1 Winchester and Eastleigh Healthcare NHS Trust 91 
			 RN3 Swindon and Marlborough NHS Trust 88 
			 RN5 North Hampshire Hospitals NHS Trust 89 
			 RN7 Dartford and Gravesham NHS Trust 89 
			 RNA Dudley Group of Hospitals NHS Trust 90 
			 RNH Newham University Hospital NHS Trust 87 
			 RNJ Baits and the London NHS Trust 84 
			 RNL North Cumbria Acute Hospitals NHS Trust 91 
			 RNQ Kettering General Hospital NHS Trust 90 
			 RNS Northampton General Hospital NHS Trust 90 
			 RNZ Salisbury Health Care NHS Trust 91 
			 RP4 Great Ormond Street Hospital For Sick Children NHS Trust 85 
			 RP5 Doncaster and Bassetlaw Hospitals NHS Trust 92 
			 RP6 Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust 84 
			 RPA Medway NHS Trust 91 
			 RPC Queen Victoria Hospital NHS Foundation Trust 87 
			 RPL Worthing and Southlands Hospitals NHS Trust 91 
			 RPR Royal West Sussex NHS Trust 89 
			 RPY Royal Marsden Hospital NHS Foundation Trust 87 
			 RQ3 Birmingham Children's Hospital NHS Trust 88 
			 RQ6 Royal Liverpool and Broadgreen University Hospitals NHS Trust 89 
			 RQ8 Mid Essex Hospital Services NHS Trust 90 
			 RQM Chelsea and Westminster Healthcare NHS Trust 84 
			 RQN Hammersmith Hospitals NHS Trust 85 
			 RQQ Hinchingbrooke Healthcare NHS Trust 91 
			 RQW The Princess Alexandra Hospital NHS Trust 89 
			 RQX Homerton University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust 88 
			 RR1 Heart of England NHS Foundation Trust 90 
			 RR7 Gateshead Health NHS Trust 92 
			 RR8 Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust 89 
			 RRF Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh NHS Trust 92 
			 RRJ Royal Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Trust 92 
			 RRK University Hospital Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust 90 
			 RRV University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust 83 
			 RT3 Royal Brompton and Harefield NHS Trust 88 
			 RTD The Newcastle Upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Trust 88 
			 RTE Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust 90 
			 RTF Northumbria Health Care NHS Trust 91 
			 RTG Derby Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust 91 
			 RTH Oxford Radcliffe Hospitals NHS Trust 87 
			 RTK Ashford and St Peter's Hospitals NHS Trust 88 
			 RTP Surrey and Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust 90 
			 RTR South Tees Hospitals NHS Trust 89 
			 RTX Morecambe Bay Hospitals NHS Trust 92 
			 RV8 North West London Hospitals NHS Trust 86 
			 RVJ North Bristol NHS Trust 91 
			 RVL Barnet and Chase Farm Hospitals NHS Trust 87 
			 RVR Epsom and St. Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust 88 
			 RW East Kent Hospitals NHS Trust 89 
			 RVW North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Trust 91 
			 RVY Southport and Ormskirk Hospital NHS Trust 91 
			 RW3 Central Manchester and Manchester Children's University Hospitals NHS Trust 88 
			 RW6 Pennine Acute Hospitals NHS Trust 90 
			 RWA Hull and East Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust 90 
			 RWD The United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust 90 
			 RWE University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust 88 
			 RWF Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust 89 
			 RWG West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust 88 
			 RWH East and North Hertfordshire NHS Trust 89 
			 RWJ Stockport NHS Trust 92 
			 RWP Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust 91 
			 RWW North Cheshire Hospitals NHS Trust 91 
			 RWY Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Trust 91 
			 RX1 Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust 90 
			 RXC East Sussex Hospitals NHS Trust 91 
			 RXF Mid Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust 91 
			 RXH Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust 87 
			 RXK Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals NHS Trust 90 
			 RXL Blackpool, Fylde and Wyre Hospitals NHS Trust 92 
			 RXN Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust 90 
			 RXP County Durham and Darlington Acute Hospitals NHS Trust 91 
			 RXQ Buckinghamshire Hospitals NHS Trust 88 
			 RXR East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust 90 
			 RXW Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust 90 
			  Notes: 1. Percentages are based on headcount figures. 2. Non-medical staff includes qualified nursing, midwifery and health visiting staff, qualified scientific, therapeutic and technical staff, qualified ambulance staff, support to qualified staff and NHS infrastructure support staff. Non-medical staff excludes all doctors and dentists, general practitioners (GPs) and GP practice staff.  Sources: The Information Centre for health and social care Non-Medical Workforce Census. The Information Centre for health and social care Medical and Dental Workforce Census.

NHS: Finance

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 14 January 2008,  Official Report, columns 1027-8W, on NHS: finance, 
	(1)  when was it agreed that the work programme of the Advisory Committee on Resource Allocation would include a review of the market forces formula; and what timetable was originally set for the work programme;
	(2)  when he expects the Advisory Committee on Resource Allocation to publish the results of its work programme.

Ben Bradshaw: The Advisory Committee on Resource Allocation (ACRA) continually oversees the development of the resource allocation formula. ACRA's work programme is set following each allocation round. The elements of ACRA's current work programme were agreed in November 2005.
	The intention was for ACRA to finalise its work programme by autumn 2007. However, although ACRA has made good progress on some major aspects of its work programme, it has requested, and been granted, additional time to finalise the work that it is doing to review the formula. Given the importance of the weighted capitation formula it is crucial that ACRA is given the time required to produce a robust and transparent formula.
	Only when its work programme is completed will ACRA finalise its recommendations to Ministers on potential changes to the funding formula. Ministers will then look at all of ACRA's recommendations and decide how to take these recommendations into account when making allocations to primary care trusts (PCTs) for 2009-10 and 2010-11.
	We will inform PCTs of the changes to the formula, and the revenue allocations as soon as is practically possible after the completion of ACRA's work programme. The aim is to announce revenue allocations to PCTs for 2009-10 and 2010-11 by the summer 2008.

NHS: Hearing Impaired

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps the Government has taken to increase the number of NHS audiovestibular physicians since 1997.

Ann Keen: Workforce planning is a matter for local determination, as local workforce planners are best placed to asses the needs of their local population. The Department continues to ensure the frameworks are in place to support this.
	National health service audiovestibular physicians are within the audiological medicine specialty, but cannot be separately counted. The number of medical staff within the audiological medicine specialty has increased from 46 in 1997 by 56 per cent. to 72 in 2006.

NHS: Pay

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the average salary paid to staff falling under each of the pay bands under the Agenda for Change programme in each year since 2004.

Ann Keen: The Information Centre produces quarterly estimates of staff earnings across the Agenda for Change programme. These are published and available at:
	www.ic.nhs.uk/webfiles/publications/esr_earnings_2007-9/Tables%20Jan08.pdf.
	The latest estimates, based on payments to staff between July and September 2007, are:
	
		
			   
			  Band  Mean basic salary per full-time equivalent( 1)  Mean total earnings per full-time( 2) 
			 Band 1 12,800 15,500 
			 Band 2 13,700 15,900 
			 Band 3 15,400 17,900 
			 Band 4 18,400 20,800 
			 Band 5 22,000 26,300 
			 Band 6 27,300 31,100 
			 Band 7 32,500 35,800 
			 Band 8a 38,200 41,500 
			 Band 8b 45,100 48,500 
			 Band 8c 54,100 58,100 
			 Band 8d 64,400 68,700 
			 Band 9 76,600 81,800 
			 (1) Mean basic salary is calculated by dividing the total amount of basic pay earned by staff in the group by the total worked FTE for those staff (2) Calculated as mean basic salary, but for all earnings. This includes basic salary, plus hours related pay (payment for shift working or additional duties), overtime, occupation payments, location payments and other payments including redundancy pay or payment of notice periods. 
		
	
	Data are not available before 2007 for Agenda for Change groups, as data from the electronic staff record did not cover a sufficient sample of organisations until January 2007.

NHS: PFI

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health with reference to the answer of 9 March 2007,  Official Report, column 2288W, on the NHS: private finance initiative, how much was spent on each of the cancelled projects.

Ben Bradshaw: Central records on abortive development costs to national health service trusts and payments to the private sector for abortive bid costs are only kept on private finance initiative (PFI) schemes with a capital value of over 25 million. These costs to the NHS trusts and payments to the private sector on each of the cancelled projects referred to in the answer of 9 March 2007,  Official Report, column 2288W, above this threshold are as follows:
	
		
			  Trust  Cost to the Trust for abortive development costs  Payments to the private sector for abortive bid costs 
			 Berkshire and Battle NHS Foundation Trust(1)   
			 Guy's and St. Thomas NHS Foundation Trust(1)   
			 Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust The Trust reported that their abortive development costs were approximately 719,000  
			 Essex Rivers Healthcare NHS Trust The Trust reported that their abortive development costs were approximately 4 million The Department paid 7.3 million at the end of March 2007 to the private sector consortium involved as an  ex-gratia settlement in recognition of abortive bid costs incurred on the scheme 
			 Plymouth NHS Trust The Trust reported that their abortive development costs were approximately 3.8 million. This is in respect of both the two later projects at Plymouth as well as the earlier single 340 million cancelled PFI scheme at the trust  
			 (1 )Berkshire and Battle NHS Trust and Guy's and St. Thomas NHS Trust are both foundation trusts; their abortive costs are not held centrally and the information can be sought from their respective chief executives. 
		
	
	In the written answer given on 3 December 2007,  Official Report, column 1005W, we reported that one scheme had been mistakenly omitted from the list of cancelled schemes given in the answer of 9 March 2007,  Official Report, column 2286W. This was the 250 million PFI scheme at East Kent Hospitals NHS Trust; the trust reported that their abortive development costs were approximately 432,000.

Nutrition

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the proportion of the  (a) adult and  (b) child population consuming five portions of fruit and vegetables every day in each of the last five years.

Dawn Primarolo: The Health Survey for England reports figures on 5 A DAY Consumption each year. The latest updates for the year 2006 were published on 31 January 2008.
	Figures for the proportion of the population consuming 5 A DAY between 2002 and 2006 are shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Percentage 
			  5 A DAY Consumption  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006 
			 Adults 24 25 26 28 30 
			 Children 12 11 12 17 20

Nutrition: West Midlands

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many nutritionists were employed by the NHS in  (a) Tamworth constituency and  (b) the west midlands in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Ann Keen: The Department does not centrally hold data on the number of nutritionists employed by the national health service. However, data for the West Midlands Strategic Health Authority (SHA) area, Mid Staffordshire General Hospitals NHS Trust and South Staffordshire Primary Care Trust (PCT) in relation to qualified dietetics staff have been set out in the following table.
	
		
			  NHS hospital and community health services: Qualified dietetics staff in each specified organisation as at 30 September of each specified year. 
			   NHS organisations within the west midlands SHA area  of which Mid Staffordshire General Hospitals NHS Trust  of which South Staffordshire PCT 
			 2002 283 5 13 
			 2003 309 6 12 
			 2004 308 7 14 
			 2005 328 6 13 
			 2006 340 6 12 
			  Notes: 1. South Staffordshire PCT was formed on 1 October 2006 from a complete merger of Burntwood, Lichfield and Tamworth PCT. 2. Cannock Chase PCT, East Staffordshire PCT and South Western Staffordshire PCT. Figures prior to 2006 are an aggregate of these predecessor organisations.  Source: The Information Centre for health and social care Non-Medical Workforce Census.

Obesity

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 6 February 2008,  Official Report, column 1264W, on obesity, how much of the 94 million allocated in 2008-09 will go directly to primary care trusts as part of their allocations.

Dawn Primarolo: Of the 94 million allocated to obesity in 2008-09, 65.9 million has been put into the overall local allocations for primary care trusts for 2008-09.

Obesity: Medical Treatments

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much the NHS spent on  (a) obesity-related medication, equipment and treatment, excluding surgery,  (b) obesity surgery and  (c) secondary medical problems arising from severe obesity in the last three years.

Dawn Primarolo: Data on the costs of equipment and treatment within the national health service is not held centrally. However, we do know the cost of prescriptions for medication classed as drugs used in the treatment of obesity dispensed in England. The figures for the latest three years are shown in the following table (costs are net ingredient cost and are expressed in thousands of pounds).
	
		
			  000 
			 Chemical  2004  2005  2006 
			 Diethylpropion Hydrochloride 0.156 0.306 0.341 
			 Mazindol 0.138 0.209 (1) 
			 Orlistat 21,478.666 27,124.817 32,574.731 
			 Phentermine 0.406 (1) 0.022 
			 Rimonabant (2) (2) 1,469.669 
			 Sibutramine 9,370.600 11,039.715 13,722.765 
			 Total 30,849.967 38,165.048 47,767.529 
			  Notes:(1) No record of drug being dispersed.  (2) Drug not available for prescription until 2006. 
		
	
	We can also provide figures for use of orlistat and Sibutramine in hospitals. These figures are derived at by pricing information on issue of medicines from a sample of hospital pharmacies and have been positively appraised by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence. These costs do not necessarily represent what hospitals paid as hospitals can negotiate their own contracts. The figures are in thousands of pounds.
	
		
			  000 
			  Chemical  2004  2005  2006 
			 Orlistat 232.275 287.327 290.619 
			 Sibutramine 62.751 74.421 76.427 
			 Total 295.026 361.748 367.046 
		
	
	We collect information on surgical procedures but are not able to provide the cost of these procedures. Also, while obesity is a known risk factor for a number of diseases including cardiovascular disease, diabetes mellitus, gallstones and osteoarthritis it is not possible to determine what proportion of spending on such diseases is attributable to obesity.

Obesity: Surgery

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will increase the resources available to the NHS for surgical intervention in cases of obesity.

Dawn Primarolo: Healthy Weight, Healthy Lives, the Government's strategy for promoting healthy weight, published in January 2008, reaffirmed the commitment that local health services should provide surgical interventions for obese patients where it is deemed clinically appropriate. The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) has also provided clear guidance on the prevention, identification, assessment and management of overweight and obesity in adults and children. It is, however, up to local areas to decide the best types of treatments, including the level of weight loss surgery, to provide for their own populations, in line with NICE guidance.

Obstetrics: Manpower

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many  (a) obstetricians,  (b) gynaecologists and  (c) obstetric and gynaecology consultants were employed in each (i) region and (ii) NHS Trust in each financial year since 1997-98.

Ann Keen: The number of obstetric and gynaecology staff including consultants employed in each strategic health authority and national health service trust as at 30 September of each year since 1997 has been placed in the Library.

Paramedical Staff: West Midlands

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many paramedics were employed in  (a) Tamworth constituency and  (b) the West Midlands in the latest period for which figures are available.

Ann Keen: The information requested is not available in the format requested. However, data for the West Midlands Strategic Health Authority area, Staffordshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust and West Midlands Ambulance Service NHS Trust as at 30 September 2006 have been set out in the following table.
	
		
			  National Health Service hospital and community health services: Paramedics in West Midlands Strategic Health Authority area by organisation as at 30 September 2006. 
			  Area / Organisation  Headcount 
			 West Midlands Strategic Health Authority area 940 
			  of which -  
			 Staffordshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust 222 
			  of which -  
			 West Midlands Ambulance Service NHS Trust 718 
			  Source:  The Information Centre, 2006 Non-Medical Workforce Census

Perinatal Mortality

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many babies were stillborn in England in each of the last five years.

Ann Keen: The Confidential Enquiry into Maternal and Child Health (CEMACH) publishes figures on stillbirth and perinatal death for England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The figures for the last five years available are shown as follows:
	
		
			   Number 
			 2000 3,366 
			 2001 3,370 
			 2002 3,542 
			 2003 3,730 
			 2004 3,791 
			  Source: CEMACH 
		
	
	In addition, the Office of National Statistics data for England and Wales for 2005 give the number of stillbirths in England and Wales as 3,484.

Prescriptions

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many FP10 forms have been lost in transit from pharmacists to the Prescriptions Pricing Division of the NHS Business Services Authority.

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many FP10 forms were lost in each year since 1997.

Dawn Primarolo: holding answer 18 December 2007
	The Prescriptions Pricing Division (PPD) of the National Health Service Business Services Authority are aware of 220 separate instances, from April 1997 to September 2007, where batches of FP10 prescription forms, submitted for reimbursement by dispensing contractors in England to PPD, were lost or stolen, either in transit from dispensing contractors to PPD or in transit from PPD to dispensing contractors. We understand that where forms have been lost or stolen, PPD or contractors have followed this up with the postal service, courier or the police as appropriate.
	On this basis, the number of FP10 forms estimated by PPD as lost or stolen are shown in the following table. This equates to less than 0.01 per cent. of all FP10 forms transferred between the PPD and dispensing contractors.
	
		
			  Financial year  Estimated number of FP10 prescribing forms lost or stolen (England)( 1)  (thousand) 
			 1997-98 17.1 
			 1998-99 14.4 
			 1999-2000 17.8 
			 2000-01 68.8 
			 2001-02 28.9 
			 2002-03 11.9 
			 2003-04 24.7 
			 2004-05 61.7 
			 2005-06 10.4 
			 2006-07 32.5 
			 2007 (April to September) 9.9 
			 (1) This figure is based on FP10 forms from dispensing contractors in England, but which may include FP10 forms written in Wales or Scotland but dispensed in England.  Source: PPD

Primary Care Trusts: Finance

Margaret Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what recent assessment he has made of the levels of capitation of primary care trusts; and what plans he has to increase funding to undercapitated trusts;
	(2)  for what reasons the Pace of Change funding programme for undercapitated primary care trusts is to be discontinued; and if he will make a statement.

Ben Bradshaw: Pace of change policy for revenue allocations to primary care trusts (PCTs) is considered by Ministers prior to each allocations round. However, for the 2008-09 revenue allocations, the decision was made to freeze the weighted-capitation formula to give the Advisory Committee on Resource Allocation (ACRA) the time it requires to finalise its review of the formula. Therefore, in 2008-09, all PCTs will be given the same uplift of 5.5 per cent. freezing the distance from target for each PCT. The flat-rate increase of 5.5 per cent. on each PCT's 2007-08 revenue allocation will ensure that every PCT has sufficient growth in funding to honour their service commitments.
	Until the impact of the new formula on target allocations is known, it would be irresponsible to continue to move PCTs towards their target allocation under the current formula. Any new formula is likely to have an impact on the target allocation for some PCTs. Some PCTs may move from being under target to over target and vice versa. Giving all PCTs the same uplift avoids moving PCTs towards their current target allocation in 2008-09 and then having to reverse this the following year.
	The plan is to make allocations for 2009-10 and 2010-11 by summer 2008 based on a new formula. Pace of change policy has not been discontinued, and decisions will be made on pace of change for 2009-10 and 2010-11 once we have received ACRA's recommendations on the new funding formula.

Primary Care Trusts: Finance

Julia Goldsworthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what each primary care trust's  (a) actual and  (b) target funding allocation was in each year since 1997; and what the real term change in funding was from each year to the next.

Ben Bradshaw: Revenue allocations were first made to primary care trusts (PCTs) in 2003-04. Prior to this, the funding was allocated to health authorities.
	Tables showing the actual, target and real terms change in funding for each PCT for the period 2003-04 to 2008-09 have been placed in the Library.

Sandwell and West Birmingham NHS Trust: Hospitals

Andrew Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he expects the new general hospital under construction by Sandwell and West Birmingham NHS Trust to be completed.

Dawn Primarolo: NHS West Midlands strategic health authority has confirmed that the Sandwell and West Birmingham NHS trust has not yet begun construction of the new hospital planned for Smethwick. It is expected that construction of this new health facility will begin in 2011 and complete in 2014. However, these dates are provisional.

Smoking

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what recent representations he has received from  (a) the Royal College of Ophthalmologists and  (b) others on links between smoking and blindness;
	(2)  if he will commission research into whether there is a link between smoking and blindness.

Ann Keen: Not only is smoking the leading cause of premature death in the United Kingdom, it can also cause many diseases. Evidence shows that smoking can cause blindness through age-related maculopathy and possibly cataracts.
	The Department keeps the evidence base around the health effects of smoking under close review, and has recently received submissions from stakeholders elaborating the evidence base around smoking and blindness.

Smoking: Cheshire

Helen Southworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people received support from NHS smoking cessation services in  (a) Warrington and  (b) Cheshire in 2007.

Dawn Primarolo: Information on the number of people who set a quit date and who successfully quit smoking at the four week follow up (based on self-report) through national health service stop smoking services in Warrington primary care trust, Western Cheshire primary care trust and Central and Eastern Cheshire primary care trust for the period April 2006 to March 2007, and for the latest period for which data are available, April 2007 to September 2007 are available from the following publications:
	'Statistics on NHS Stop Smoking Services in England, April 2006 to March 2007 (Annual statistical bulletin)', Table 5.4, page 65, which was published on 17 August 2007.
	'Statistics on NHS Stop Smoking Services in England, April 2007 to September 2007 (Quarter 2 bulletin)', Table 9, page 13, which was published on January 29, 2008.
	Both publications have been placed in the Library.

Social Workers: Manpower

Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many social workers there were in Chesterfield in each year since 1997.

Ivan Lewis: Figures provided by the General Social Care Council indicate that the number of social workers in Chesterfield in each calendar year since 2003 is:
	
		
			   Number 
			 2004 24 
			 2005 254 
			 2006 314 
			 2007 313 
			 2008 299 
		
	
	Figures for the period 1997 to 2003 are not held centrally.

Tinnitus

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which organisations have applied for tinnitus research funding in each of the last three years for which figures are available.

Dawn Primarolo: The Department's centrally managed health research programmes received one proposal for a research project concerned with tinnitus in the period from 2004-05 to 2006-07. It was from the Oxford Radcliffe NHS Trust.

DUCHY OF LANCASTER

Departmental Disciplinary Proceedings

Mark Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many of his Department's civil servants were  (a) suspended and  (b) dismissed for accessing (i) obscene and (ii) other prohibited material on work computers in each of the last five years.

Tom Watson: The Cabinet Office has not suspended or dismissed any employee in the last five years for accessing obscene or other prohibited material on work computers.

Departmental Home Working

David Simpson: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many people in his Department have been authorised to work from home in the last 12 months.

Tom Watson: The Cabinet Office encourages all staff and managers to consider various forms of flexible working, including home working. Arrangements for home working are made locally by individual line managers and no record is held centrally of numbers authorised to work at home.

Departmental Manpower

Mark Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster 
	(1)  how many  (a) staff and  (b) full-time equivalent staff under 18 years of age are employed by the Prime Minister's Office;
	(2)  how many  (a) staff and  (b) full-time equivalent staff under 18 years of age are employed by his Department.

Tom Watson: The Prime Minister's Office is part of the Cabinet Office. The Cabinet Office currently employs no staff under 18 years of age.

Review of Government Information Assurance

Francis Maude: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will place in the Library a copy of Nick Coleman's 2007 Review of Government Information Assurance.

Tom Watson: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 19 February 2008,  Official Report , column 689W, to the hon. Member for Tunbridge Wells (Greg Clark).

Voluntary Organisations: Driving

David Drew: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster 
	(1)  what discussions he has had with representatives of  (a) the third sector and  (b) insurance providers on the personal insurance liability of drivers when they volunteer as car and minibus drivers for voluntary organisations;
	(2)  what discussions he has had with Ministerial colleagues on local authority provision of insurance for volunteer minibus drivers providing services within the third sector.

Phil Hope: In 2002 the Home Office Active Communities Directorate, which is now part of the Office of the Third Sector in the Cabinet Office, set up the Working Group on Insurance and the Voluntary Sector. The Working Group sought to address the concerns of the voluntary sector about the cost of insurance premiums. It included officials from Government and representatives from the insurance industry and the third sector. The work of the group included discussions on personal insurance liability for volunteer drivers. The working group met on a number of occasions and ceased its work in 2005. As a direct result of the group's work two documents were published to help third sector organisations address insurance issues. The first was a risk toolkit produced by Volunteering England and the second a document by the Association of British Insurers. Both provide advice on insurance for volunteers and the third sector. Copies of these documents have been placed in the Library.
	The possibility of local authority provision of insurance for volunteer minibus drivers has not been the subject of discussions with ministerial colleagues.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Afghanistan: Electricity

Michael Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent assessment he has made of the availability of supply of  (a) electricity and  (b) water in Afghanistan; what assessment he has made of such availability in each year since 2001; and if he will make a statement.

Douglas Alexander: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 22 November 2007,  Official Report, column 1086W.

Bolivia: Overseas Aid

Colin Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 24 January 2008,  Official Report, columns 60-1WS, on Latin America (Development), which organisations in Bolivia will receive funding and what conflict sensitive assessment of funding disbursement will be conducted in the light of separatist inspired violence in Bolivia.

Shahid Malik: Additional funding will be channelled to a shortlist of UK non-governmental organisations (NGOs) working in Latin America that currently receive funding through our programme partnership agreement. However, allocations to specific organisations have not yet been made, so it is not possible at this stage to say which organisations in Bolivia will receive funding. Once allocations are decided I will be happy to provide this information.
	DFID is committed through our conflict policy paper to ensuring that our development work takes better account of its possible effects on conflict.
	Currently the Department is piloting 'conflict audits' in a number of countries to help us review how well we integrate conflict into our development work. In addition, we are working with UK NGOs on learning lessons about the conflict sensitivity of development programmes. We expect to work with the UK NGOs in Latin America, including Bolivia, to apply these lessons.

Departmental Disciplinary Proceedings

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many of his Department's civil servants have been  (a) suspended and  (b) dismissed for accessing (i) obscene and (ii) other prohibited material on work computers in each of the last five years.

Gillian Merron: The holding of a central disciplinary record commenced in October 2004. DFID suspended and dismissed fewer than five civil servants for accessing obscene material on DFID computers in 2005. There were no cases of accessing other prohibited material.

Drinking Water

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much his Department spent on bottled water in the latest year for which figures are available.

Shahid Malik: The Department for International Development (DFID) has recently changed its restaurant service provider, and detailed records are not available. However, we estimate that DFID has spent in the region of 10,500 last year. Bottled water was provided for some official meetings in accordance with the principles of Managing Public Money. Since January 2008, however, we no longer purchase bottled mineral water but instead use bottled filtered mains water that is prepared on site. This change was made on the grounds of economy and environmental benefits.

INNOVATION, UNIVERSITIES AND SKILLS

Departmental Telephone Services

Julia Goldsworthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills 
	(1)  which telephone contact centres are the responsibility of his Department; what mechanisms are in place to monitor their effectiveness; and how many people have been employed in each of those centres in each year since they were established;
	(2)  what information his Department collects and monitors in relation to the telephone contact centres for which his Department is responsible;
	(3)  how much each telephone contact centre for which his Department is responsible has  (a) cost and  (b) generated in income in each financial year since their establishment;
	(4)  when he will answer Questions  (a) 166530,  (b) 166528, and  (c) 166529, on telephone contact centres, tabled on 15 November 2007 by the hon. Member for Falmouth and Camborne;

David Lammy: The Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills has only been in existence since June 2007, when it was formed from elements of the old Department for Education and Skills (now Department for Children, Schools and Families) and Department for Trade and Industry (now Department for Business Enterprise and Regulatory Reform). DIUS currently relies on DCSF and BERR to provide telephone inquiry services on its behalf and I would refer you to the answers they have given to this question.
	The cost of running the Aimhigher Student Finance contact centre since the DIUS began (end June 2007) has been 117,247,84. This is a freephone line so has generated no income.
	The contract for this service includes the provision of data by the supplier to enable the Department to ensure the supplier is meeting the key performance indicators set out in the contract.

Education: Carers

Hywel Francis: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what steps he is considering to encourage unpaid carers to access learning opportunities in mainstream education; and if he will make a statement.

David Lammy: The Department has agreed with the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) that it will produce a special leaflet for learning providers highlighting carer issues and promoting the extra uplift in learner support funding which is available to learning providers. Additionally the LSC will issue a new leaflet produced by the National Institute for Continuing Adult Education (NIACE) which promotes learning for carers. This will be used to promote the opportunities that can be made available to carers.
	The Department has contributed to the Employment Task Force review of the New Deal for Carers Strategy with recommendations to improve access to learning for carers. The report is expected to be published in May 2008.
	Adult learners, including carers, on low incomes and in receipt of an income-based benefit are entitled to access Further Education (FE) free of charge. In addition adult learners, including carers, with low skills who wish to access basic literacy and numeracy courses, a first full level 2 course or who are aged 19-25 years and who wish to access a first full level 3 course, are entitled to access these courses free of charge. Young people aged 16-18 can access learning opportunities in mainstream education free of charge.

Higher Education: Expenditure

David Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how much expenditure on higher education research projects has been used to buy-out the teaching time of the researchers in the latest year for which figures are available.

Ian Pearson: Since the introduction of the full economic costs (FEC) regime in April 2006, Research Councils have ceased to provide specific funding to buy-out the teaching time of researchers. Specific buy-out funding is included in some grants that started before that date, and have yet to be completed.
	Under FEC, funding is provided for the research time of academic staff. During the year July 2006 to June 2007, the amount committed by Research Councils to cover researcher time (taking Principal Investigators and Co-investigators for all eligible organisations) amounted to 110 million for direct costs, plus 80 million for overhead costs.

ICT: Training

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how much has been spent from  (a) the Capital Modernisation Fund and  (b) the New Opportunities Fund on establishing UK online centres in West Lancashire constituency since 2000; and if he will make a statement.

David Lammy: UK online centres were established by the then Department for Education and Employment from 1999. These centres are effective in reaching out to the most excluded in communities and have helped reduce the digital divide by providing individuals with access to the internet and e-learning.
	Nationally, 199 million capital funding was made available from the Treasury's Capital Modernisation Fund and 77.5 million revenue funding from the New Opportunities Fund (now called the Big Lottery Fund) to help fund UK online centres in deprived communities. Information is not held at constituency level and the details requested could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Innovation

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what steps he has taken to encourage innovation in his Department in the last 12 months.

Ian Pearson: The departmental strategic objectives published in October 2007 set out the Department's aim to be innovative in what we do, and a programme of work is in place which will help ensure we achieve this. For example, rather than having fixed desks and workstations, all staff (including the Permanent Secretary) have been issued instead with lap top computers which will support more effective and flexible working practices. A pool of policy specialists is being created, enabling a quicker response to deal with particular issues. This will all be underpinned through the development of a new set of corporate values and behaviours and a culture that will ensure that DIUS operates innovatively and effectively.
	The Department is committed to working openly with partners and customers. For example, we now have a Minister with explicit responsibility for listening to students and ensuring the student voice is heard in Government. We are also working with our partners, including students in universities and colleges, on issues such as the redesign of our London office.
	The Department also has the overall responsibility on behalf of Government to promote the commercial exploitation of creativity and knowledge by supporting research and innovation. We aim to create the right environment for innovation through a combination of: investment in the science base; financial support for companies; fiscal incentives for innovation; and through maintaining a world class innovation infrastructure in the UK. In order to lead this work the Department has appointed a Director of Innovation for driving forward its work in this area.

Postgraduate Education: Arts

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what financial provisions were made available to students for postgraduate education in the arts in 2007-08; and if he will make a statement.

Ian Pearson: In 2007 the Arts and Humanities Research Council made postgraduate training awards to students in the arts worth a total of 6 million.

Research: University of Wales

Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what recent initiatives have been taken by his Department's technology strategy board to promote the commercialisation of research findings from the University of Wales.

Ian Pearson: The business focused Technology Strategy Board currently supports 27 collaborative R and D projects involving the University of Wales and its affiliated institutions. This translates to grant funding worth 7.16 million. This support enables business and research communities to work together on R and D projects from which successful new products, processes and services can emerge.
	The Technology Strategy Board is also providing support for 31 Knowledge Transfer Partnerships involving the University of Wales. Knowledge Transfer Partnerships enable companies to access knowledge and skills from the UK knowledge base (further and higher education institutions or research organisations) for use in the strategic development of the business. Each partnership employs one or more high-calibre KTP associate (NVQ Level 4 in an appropriate subject; HMD; foundation degree; degree and higher degree; post-doc) for a project lasting one to three years.

Skilled Workers: Lancashire

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how many employees in West Lancashire constituency are covered by the Government's Skills Pledge.

David Lammy: As at December 2007 there were four employers covering 440 employees in the West Lancashire constituency who have made the Skills Pledge.

Students: Finance

Helen Southworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills 
	(1)  if he will review the definition of taxable income as applied to the income of a student's natural parents, the parent's partner and the student's partner to exclude such part of a pension income as is paid to an ex-partner under a divorce settlement in developing future financial assessment policy for student support arrangements;
	(2)  when he will provide an answer to question 184399, on student support, tabled on 30 January 2008 by the hon. Member for Warrington, South.

Bill Rammell: The assessment of a student's entitlement to financial support while attending a course of higher education is based on the student's household income. This is generally the residual income of the eligible student, aggregated with the residual income of the student's parents; or where appropriate the student's parent's partner, the student's spouse or partner.
	For the purposes of determining the residual income of an eligible student and the relevant people in the household, certain specified deductions are made from their taxable income. 'Taxable income' is defined in the Student Support Regulations as a person's taxable income from all sources computed as for the purposes of either (i) the Income Tax Acts; (ii) the income tax legislation of another member state which applies to the person's income; or (iii) where the legislation of more than one member state applies, the legislation under which the person in question is considered to be paying the largest amount of tax during the period covered by the assessment. Such taxable income includes taxable pension income.
	The Government have no plans to review the current financial assessment procedures.

Students: Loans

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what representations he has received proposing changes to the method of calculating interest on student loans since June 2007.

Bill Rammell: During the third reading of the Sale of Student Loans Bill on 23 January representations were made by my hon. Friends the Members for Nottingham, South (Alan Simpson) and for Hayes and Harlington (John McDonnell) who suggested that the consumer prices index (CPI) should be used in place of the retail prices index (RPI) when determining the rate of interest on student loans.
	My hon. Friend the Member for Great Grimsby (Mr. Mitchell) has also made representations on this matter in early-day motion 263 which suggests changes to the method of calculating interest on student loans.
	In addition the Department has received some 206 written representations since June 2007 about the student loan interest rate. We are not able to say how many of those proposed changes to the method of calculating interest.
	We do not believe that it is necessary to change the way interest is calculated. Student loans are not like commercial loans. The Government make no profit but subsidise the interest rate and absorb other associated costs. Interest is charged using a widely recognised measure of inflation, so students only pay back in real terms the amount they originally borrowed. This is achieved by linking the interest rate for student loans to the annual rate of inflation as defined by the RPI. The interest rate is recalculated each year at the beginning of September using the RPI figure from the previous March. This is the methodology that has always been used. Over time it ensures the student loan interest rate will be equivalent to the rate of inflation but with a time lag.
	For the vast majority of student loan borrowers, who have income contingent loans, any increase in interest rate will not affect borrowers' ability to pay, or the amount that they are liable to pay each month. Repayments are linked to the ability to pay and this amounts to 9 per cent. of earnings above 15,000.

Students: Pharmacy

Howard Stoate: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what assessment he has made of the effect on the pharmacy profession of his Department's proposal to withdraw funding for the teaching of students studying for qualifications deemed to be of an equivalent or lower level to those they have already received; and if he will make a statement.

Bill Rammell: The vast majority of pharmacy students already study the subject as a first degree rather than as an equivalent or lower level qualification. The redistribution of 100 million by 2010 would enable the same number of pharmacy students to be funded as now but with even more studying the subject as a first degree. In that way we will increase and widen participation which is our top priority. We also value those who have already got a first HE qualification and who want to retrain in a different subject. There will be opportunities for them available, for example, through Foundation Degrees and employer co-funded provision.
	In addition, there will be a review mechanism each year to look at individual subjects of particular economic or social importance. We are asking the Funding Council each year to look at levels of demand for subjects which might in future be regarded as key because of their economic or social significance, and to advise us on the best way forward. The first such review should take place starting in December 2008, in the light of entry data for the 2008-09 academic year. That would be an opportunity to have another look at pharmacy and other subjects in the light of the data that will then be available.

Vocational Training: North West

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how many employers in the North West signed up to the Skills Pledge, in each year, broken down by  (a) sector and  (b) size of employer.

David Lammy: As at December 2007, the available information indicated that there were 39 employers in the North West who had made their commitment to the Skills Pledge, since it was launched in June 2007. 21 of the 39 employers in the North West had fewer than 250 employees with the remaining 18 having between 250 and less than 5,000. A breakdown by sectors is not currently available.

JUSTICE

Bail: Northern Ireland

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many defendants on bail between pleading guilty or being found guilty and sentence subsequently failed to attend court for sentencing in Northern Ireland in each of the last five years.

David Hanson: Bench warrants are issued when defendants on bail fail to appear at a Crown court.
	The information sought was not centrally recorded prior to the introduction of a new IT system in October 2006. Consequently, it is not possible to provide the requested information prior to this without incurring disproportionate cost.
	The following table details, for Crown court cases dealt with in Northern Ireland between October 2006 and September 2007, the number of defendants on bail between pleading guilty or being found guilty and being sentenced who had a least one bench warrant issued against them. All have since been sentenced.
	
		
			  Crown court cases dealt with 1 October 2006 to 30 September 2007 
			   Number 
			 Number of defendants with at least one bench warrant issued 27

Custodial Treatment

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people were held in custody in 2007; and what proportion of the population this figure represented.

David Hanson: On 31 December 2007, there were 80,067 people held in custody in England and Wales. This represented 147 per 100,000 of the national population.
	These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems, which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.

Departmental Manpower

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many  (a) staff and  (b) full-time equivalent staff under 18 years are employed by his Department.

Maria Eagle: The requested figures are in the following table. The latest period for which the statistics are available is the year to September 2006 and so pre-date the creation of the Ministry of Justice.
	
		
			  Ministry of Justice agencies staff under 18 years old, as at 30 September 2006 
			   Headcount as at 30 September 2006  Full-time equivalent as at 30 September 2006 
			  Ministry of Justice headquarters   
			 Former Department for Constitutional Affairs (excluding agencies)(l) 1 0.32 
			
			  Ministry of Justice agencies   
			 HM Courts Service(l) 32 29.30 
			 Office of the Public Guardian(l) 1 1.00 
			 Tribunals Service(l) 10 7.98 
			 HM Prison Service(2) 10 10.00 
			 Ministry of Justice total 54 48.60 
			 (1) Source: Former Department for Constitutional Affairs Central HR Information System. (2) Source: Annual Civil Service Employment Survey.

Departmental Marketing

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  pursuant to the answer of 5 February 2008,  Official Report, column 1110W, on departmental marketing, how much his Department has spent on  (a) corporate display materials,  (b) publications,  (c) public information booklets,  (d) building signage,  (e) hard stationery and  (f) lanyards since its establishment;
	(2)  how much each of his Department's agencies spent on branded products in each of the last five years.

Maria Eagle: Since the Ministry of Justice was established on 9 May 2007, my Department's HQ costs for the items listed in the question, incorporating the Ministry of Justice branding, have been as follows:
	
		
			   Item  Cost () 
			  (a) Corporate display materials 14,865 
			  (b) Publications 256,000 
			  (c) Public information booklets 183,000 
			  (d) Building signage 16,335 
			  (e) Hard stationery 46,607 
			  (f) Lanyards 1,500 
			
			   In addition, my Department produced:  
			  (g) Pens 858 
			  (h) Notepads 335 
		
	
	Some of the agencies have been in existence for less than the five years specified and therefore, where possible, we have provided the data available to us. Details of spending which the agencies provided are given as follows (figures rounded to the nearest 1,000):
	
		
			   
			  Agency  2007-08  2006-07  2005-06 
			 Her Majesty's Courts Service(1) 477,000 561,000 853,000 
			 Office of the Public Guardian(2) 161,000   
			 National Offender Management Service(3) 141,000 (4) (4) 
			 Tribunals Service(5) 103,000 162,000  
			 Office for Criminal Justice Reform(6) 166,000 (4) (4) 
			 (1) HMCS created on 1 April 2005. (2) OPG created on 1 October 2007. (3) NOMS created in May 2004. (4) Figures not available for these years. (5) The Tribunals Service created on 1 April 2006. (6) OCJR figure covers public information booklets and publications only.

Electoral Register: Greater London

David Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what estimate he has made of the number of people not registered to vote in each London borough.

Bridget Prentice: The Government have made no estimate of the number of people not registered to vote in each London borough. However, the Electoral Commission undertook a pilot research study in 2007 to examine possible methods for measuring the accuracy and completeness of the electoral register in Greater London.
	I understand from the Electoral Commission that the methodologies used in the London pilot were shown to be unsuitable for drawing firm conclusions about the integrity of electoral registers. This was particularly the case for borough by borough analysis, due to small sample sizes. The pilot study brought to light some key registration trends in Greater London; in particular, it estimated that 80 per cent. of those who were eligible, were registered. Due to small sample base sizes at the borough level, the data is not sufficiently robust at local authority level to provide reliable estimates.
	Recent changes brought about by the Electoral Administration Act 2006 have placed a greater emphasis on getting eligible electors registered. During the annual canvass, Electoral Registration Officers are required to take all necessary steps to ensure that electors are encouraged to register, which include sending the canvass form more than once, making house to house enquiries and inspecting other records that they are permitted to inspect.

Firearms Act 1968: Convictions

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the answer of 6 February 2008,  Official Report, column 1188W, on Firearms Act 1968: convictions, what proportion of those convicted over the age of 18 years received custodial sentences.

Maria Eagle: The information requested on persons aged 18 and over found guilty and sentenced to immediate custody for offences under section 5 of the Firearms Act 1968 is provided in the following table.
	
		
			  Number of defendants proceeded against at magistrates courts and found guilty at all courts for offences under Section 5 of the 1968 Firearms Act, broken down by police force area and age group, England and Wales, 2006( 1,2,3) 
			Found guilty  Number and percentage of those aged 18 and over sentenced to immediate custody 
			  Police force area  Proceeded against  All ages  Aged 18 and over  Number  Percentage 
			 Avon and Somerset 24 21 19 7 37 
			 Bedfordshire 6 4 4 2 50 
			 Cambridgeshire 11 8 8 1 13 
			 Cheshire 20 16 16 2 13 
			 City of London 6 1 1   
			 Cleveland 8 8 8   
			 Cumbria 7 3 3   
			 Derbyshire 11 13 13 5 38 
			 Devon and Cornwall 12 11 11   
			 Dorset 8 8 8 1 13 
			 Durham 7 6 6   
			 Essex 34 26 23 6 26 
			 Gloucestershire 4 5 5 1 20 
			 Greater Manchester 108 94 90 18 20 
			 Hampshire 27 24 23 6 26 
			 Hertfordshire 24 23 21 9 43 
			 Humberside 13 11 11 5 45 
			 Kent 27 28 27 11 41 
			 Lancashire 24 18 18 4 22 
			 Leicestershire 18 16 15 4 27 
			 Lincolnshire 8 6 5 2 40 
			 Merseyside 54 56 54 13 24 
			 Metropolitan Police 385 317 274 98 36 
			 Norfolk 12 9 9   
			 North Yorkshire 6 5 5   
			 Northamptonshire 2 2 2 2 100 
			 Northumbria 43 34 30 5 17 
			 Nottinghamshire 28 30 29 11 38 
			 South Yorkshire 40 35 31 11 35 
			 Staffordshire 10 9 9 5 56 
			 Suffolk 8 8 8 1 13 
			 Surrey 7 7 7 2 29 
			 Sussex 20 15 14 3 21 
			 Thames Valley 27 20 19 5 26 
			 Warwickshire 8 6 6   
			 West Mercia 13 11 11 3 27 
			 West Midlands 84 78 69 25 36 
			 West Yorkshire 45 47 43 13 30 
			 Wiltshire 14 7 6   
			   
			 Dyfed-Powys 2 1 1   
			 Gwent 11 7 6 1 17 
			 North Wales 16 8 8 3 38 
			 South Wales 16 15 15 6 40 
			   
			 England and Wales 1,258 1,077 991 291 29 
			 (1) These data are on the principal offence basis. (2) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. (3) The found guilty column may exceed those proceeded against, as it may be the case that the proceedings in the magistrates court took place in the preceding year and they were found guilty at the Crown Court in the following year, or the defendants was found guilty for a different offence to the original offence proceeded against.

Internet: Suicide

James Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what discussions he has had with the Australian Government on legislative changes to make the operation of internet sites about suicide more difficult.

Maria Eagle: Officials in the Ministry of Justice have discussed with their Australian counterparts the effectiveness of legislation introduced there to combat suicide websitesthe Criminal Code Amendment (Suicide Related Material Offences) Act 2005. I understand that since the legislation came into force in January 2006 there have been no prosecutions.

Internet: Suicide

James Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will establish an independent body to review complaints about internet sites operated from outside the UK which encourage suicide.

Maria Eagle: The Internet Watch Foundation considers complaints about websites where the content is criminally racist, obscene or contains indecent photographs of children. No UK body would have the authority to take action on complaints about internet sites hosted abroad, nor are we convinced of the need for a separate regulatory body in respect of websites that, whilst considered harmful or offensive, are not necessarily illegal.

Internet: Suicide

James Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what steps he has taken with internet service providers to reduce the numbers of sites about suicide; and whether he has pursued the idea of a kite mark for internet sites.

Maria Eagle: The Government have worked with the internet industry, through the Department of Health's suicide prevention strategy and otherwise, to discourage them from hosting sites which may encourage suicide. Typically, indeed largely because of the responsible approach taken by UK internet service providers, such sites tend to be hosted abroad. Work on developing a kite mark standard for internet filtering software is being taken forward through the Home Secretary's task force for child protection on the internet.

Internet: Suicide

James Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice in how many completed inquests suicide was found to have been assisted by internet sites in each of the last five years; and in how many such cases the suicide was committed by someone under the age of 18.

Maria Eagle: Information collected by the Ministry of Justice relates solely to the number of verdicts of suicide returned; no information is collected regarding the circumstances of each case or the age of the deceased. The total number of verdicts of suicide returned at inquests by coroners in England and Wales in each of the last five years for which data are available is as follows:
	
		
			  Total number of verdicts of suicide returned by coroners in England and Wales 2002-06 
			   Number 
			 2002 3,242 
			 2003 3,255 
			 2004 3,368 
			 2005 3,235 
			 2006 3,220 
			  Note: Statistics for 2007 are not yet available.

Prisoners on Remand: Northern Ireland

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many defendants remanded in custody pending trial in Northern Ireland have subsequently been acquitted or not found guilty in each of the last five years.

David Hanson: The custody or bail status of defendants may change during the period pending trial in the Crown court.
	The information sought was not centrally recorded prior to the introduction of a new IT system in October 2006. Consequently, it is not possible to provide the requested information prior to this without incurring disproportionate cost.
	The following table details, for Crown court cases dealt with in Northern Ireland between October 2006 and September 2007, the number of defendants who were found not guilty on all charges and who had been remanded in custody at some stage pending trial.
	
		
			  Crown court cases dealt with 1 October 2006 to 30 September 2007 
			   Number 
			 Number of defendants in custody at some stage pending trial who were subsequently found not guilty on all charges 75

Prisoners Release: End of Custody Licence

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many prisoners have been released early from HMP Peterborough under the End of Custody Licence scheme in each month since the scheme's inception.

David Hanson: The End of Custody Licence was introduced on 29 June 2007. Eligible prisoners serving between four weeks and four years may be released under licence from prison up to up to 18 days before their automatic release date.
	The following table shows the number of prisoners that have been released early from HMP Peterborough under the End of Custody Licence scheme in each month since the scheme began on 29 June 2007.
	
		
			  Period of Release  Number of Releases 
			 29 June-5 July 37 
			 6-31 July 40 
			 August 2007 61 
			 September 2007 38 
			 October 2007 72 
			 November 2007 77 
			 December 2007 63 
		
	
	The total number of releases by offence group, sentence length, age, gender, ethnicity and prison establishment have been published on the Ministry of Justice website for the first week of the scheme, the remainder of July, and every subsequent month since then.
	The monthly published figures can be found on separate links under the following main link:
	http://www.justice.gov.uk/publications/endofcustodylicence.htm
	Data on releases up to the end of January 2008 will be published on 29 February 2008 according to the schedule of MoJ statistical publications
	http://www.justice.gov.uk/docs/moj-stats-schedule.pdf
	These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems, which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.

Prisoners: Young People

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people under the age of 18 years are being held in adult prisons.

David Hanson: Juvenile prisoners are usually held in designated juvenile units and prisons. In exceptional individual circumstances juveniles may be held separately within an adult prison for a short period.

Prisons: Education

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the cost was of education in each prison in each of the last three years.

David Lammy: holding answer 27 February 2008
	I have been asked to reply.
	The information requested with regards to public prisons could not be produced within the deadline. I will write to the hon. Member with the information requested and a copy will be placed in the Library of the House.
	It will not be possible to give figures for the cost of education within contracted prisons. The cost of education in these establishments is subsumed within the overall cost per place that the Ministry of Justice pays to the contractor.

Re-offenders: Bexley

David Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many offenders are believed to have re-offended while on probation in Bexley in each of the last five years.

David Hanson: The National Statistics relating to re-offending do not presently include a local authority level breakdown. Figures for proven re-offending within two years by adults released from prison or starting a community sentence have been published for 2000, 2002, 2003 and 2004. The most recent data was published in the 2007 report, Re-offending of adults: Results from the 2004 cohort which is available online at:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs07/hosb0607.pdf
	We have developed more timely area-based management information on a different basis from the National Statistics. These show for each of the 42 probation areas, the proportion of those on the probation caseload who re-offend within three months and are convicted within six months of the end of every quarter. These experimental statistics are circulated to probation areas four times a year.
	From April 2008 onwards, we will be providing further management information on re-offending at the level of local area agreements.

Secure Training Centres: Restraint Techniques

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the answer of 18 February 2008,  Official Report, columns 201-02W, on secure training centres: restraint techniques, for what reasons the populations of all the institutions listed in the Answer of 28 January 2008,  Offi cial Report, column 150W, on secure training centres were not provided; and if he will provide these figures.

David Hanson: The previous reply gave details of the end-of-month population of the secure training centres. I am sorry that data on young offender institutions and secure children's homes were not included.
	The following table shows the end-of-month population for the period April-November 2007 for all establishments in the under-18 secure estate. This information has been supplied by the Youth Justice Board.
	
		
			  Establishment  April  May  June  July  August  September  October  November 
			 Hassockfield 57 56 58 55 58 56 49 53 
			 Medway 64 60 65 67 71 69 76 74 
			 Oakhill 51 57 57 49 42 51 46 47 
			 Rainsbrook 81 80 82 85 86 81 84 84 
			 Ashfield 320 349 348 344 344 367 372 357 
			 Parc 57 53 52 54 58 54 56 53 
			 Brinsford 129 149 144 142 149 158 156 134 
			 Castington 142 145 135 134 148 159 145 141 
			 Feltham 215 197 222 230 235 234 223 215 
			 Hindley 137 136 137 145 159 177 173 173 
			 Huntercombe 304 299 309 319 316 335 344 352 
			 Lancaster Farms 198 195 214 220 124 153 213 212 
			 Stoke Heath 163 176 175 182 198 194 137 140 
			 Thorn Cross 25 26 24 21 20 14 15 14 
			 Warren Hill 187 178 185 190 197 176 195 191 
			 Werrington 130 130 128 145 168 163 150 112 
			 Wetherby 278 295 310 328 335 328 335 345 
			 Cookham Wood 12 9 11 12 1 12 11 12 
			 Downview 12 15 13 14 15 16 18 13 
			 Eastwood Park 13 15 13 17 15 13 15 15 
			 Foston Hall 10 14 11 10 12 15 14 14 
			 New Hall 18 17 20 23 26 26 21 19 
			 Aldine House 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 
			 Atkinson Unit 10 10 9 10 11 10 10 11 
			 Aycliffe 28 30 30 28 28 31 28 26 
			 Barton Moss 20 17 16 20 20 20 19 20 
			 Clayfields 11 11 11 12 12 11 11 10 
			 East Moor 34 31 31 31 33 36 33 30 
			 Gladstone House 15 14 9 13 15 16 13 15 
			 Hillside 13 15 14 14 16 16 13 13 
			 Kyloe House 3 3 3 3 4 4 3 3 
			 Lincolnshire 7 6 7 7 7 7 7 7 
			 Orchard Lodge 17 18 18 18 19 18 18 17 
			 Red Bank 28 28 26 26 27 27 24 26 
			 Sutton Place 8 8 7 8 9 7 7 8 
			 Swanwick Lodge 10 9 7 10 10 10 10 12 
			 Vinney Green 20 21 19 19 19 21 19 20

Trials: Northern Ireland

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many trials on indictment in Northern Ireland have been retrials in each of the last five years; and of those retrials how many have been  (a) second and  (b) third re-trials.

David Hanson: A retrial will only take place when a jury has been unable to reach a verdict or a retrial has been ordered by the Court of Appeal.
	Information on the number of retrials in Northern Ireland was not centrally recorded prior to the introduction of a new IT system in October 2006. Consequently, it is not possible to provide the requested information prior to this date without incurring disproportionate cost.
	For Crown court cases dealt with in Northern Ireland between October 2006 and September 2007, the total number of retrials were four, of which two were second retrials.

Trials: Northern Ireland

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice on how many occasions retrials in Northern Ireland have resulted in defendants being found  (a) guilty and  (b) not guilty in each of the last five years.

David Hanson: A retrial will only take place when a jury has been unable to reach a verdict or a retrial has been ordered by the Court of Appeal.
	Information on the number of retrials in Northern Ireland was not centrally recorded prior to the introduction of a new IT system in October 2006. Consequently, it is not possible to provide the requested information prior to this without incurring disproportionate cost.
	The following table details, for Crown court defendants dealt with in Northern Ireland between October 2006 and September 2007, the outcome of those trials which have been retrials.
	
		
			  Crown court January October 2006 to 30 September 2007 
			   Cases dealt with 
			 Total number of retrials 4 
			 Number of defendants found guilty on re-trial 2 
			 Number of defendants found not guilty on re-trial 2

Trials: Northern Ireland

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice on how many occasions re-trials on indictment in Northern Ireland have taken place  (a) within three months of,  (b) between three months and six months of and  (c) six months or more after the original trial in each of the last five years.

David Hanson: A retrial will only take place when a jury has been unable to reach a verdict or a retrial has been ordered by the Court of Appeal.
	Information on the number of retrials in Northern Ireland was not centrally recorded prior to the introduction of a new IT system in October 2006. Consequently, it is not possible to provide the requested information prior to this without incurring disproportionate cost.
	The following table details, for Crown court cases dealt with in Northern Ireland between October 2006 and September 2007, the number trials on indictment that have been retrials.
	
		
			  Crown court cases dealt with 1 October 2006 to 30 September 2007 
			   Number 
			 Total number of retrials 4 
			 Less than 3 months since original trial 0 
			 3-6 months since original trial 3 
			 6 months plus since original trial 1

Trials: Northern Ireland

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many re-trials on indictment in Northern Ireland have been for reasons of a jury being discharged before being sent out to decide their verdict in the last five years; and how many have been for reasons of a jury being unable to reach a verdict.

David Hanson: A retrial will only take place when a jury has been unable to reach a verdict or a retrial has been ordered by the Court of Appeal. A defendant will not be re-tried because the jury has been discharged before it reaches a verdict.
	A jury can be discharged for any number of reasons at any stage prior to the conclusion of the trial. In these circumstances the case will continue with a new jury.
	Information on the number of retrials in Northern Ireland was not centrally recorded prior to the introduction of a new IT system in October 2006. Consequently, it is not possible to provide the requested information prior to this without incurring disproportionate cost.
	For Crown court cases dealt with in Northern Ireland between October 2006 and September 2007, there were four retrials on indictment, all of which were due to the jury failing to reach a verdict.

Young Offender Institutions: Injuries

Rudi Vis: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many  (a) major and  (b) minor injuries were caused through the use of restraint in young offenders institutions and secure training centres since April 2007, broken down by region.

David Hanson: The data requested has been provided by the Youth Justice Board and is shown in the following tables. The information is based on the Youth Justice Board's regional structure.
	
		
			  Young offender institutions, April to December 2007 
			   April  May  June  July  August  September  October  November  December 
			  Region  A  B  A  B  A  B  A  B  A  B  A  B  A  B  A  B  A  B 
			 North West 3 1 4 0 1 0 2 0 1 0 3 0 0 0 1 0 2 0 
			 North East 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 1 3 0 0 5 0 0 0 
			 Midlands 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 2 0 3 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 
			 South East 1 0 8 0 7 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 
			 South West 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 5 1 3 1 0 0 
			 Wales 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
		
	
	
		
			  Secure training centres, April to December 2007 
			   April  May  June  July  August  September  October  November  December 
			  Region  A  B  A  B  A  B  A  B  A  B  A  B  A  B  A  B  A  B 
			 North West(1) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 North East 0 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 8 0 3 0 0 0 2 1 0 0 
			 Midlands 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 5 0 0 0 
			 South East 7 0 8 0 4 0 14 0 2 1 9 0 4 0 7 0 4 0 
			 South West(1) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 () 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Wales(1) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 (1) There are no secure training centres in the North West, the South West or Wales.  Note: Column A shows minor injuries and column B major injuries. Minor injuries include redness to skin, welts, scratches or bruising, grazes, nose bleeds, concussion and sprains. Major injuries include serious cuts, fractures, loss of consciousness and damage to internal organs.

TREASURY

Alcoholic Drinks: Prices

Gisela Stuart: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the retail price would be of  (a) a bottle of wine,  (b) a bottle of whisky and  (c) a pint of lager if real prices had been maintained since 1960.

Angela Eagle: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Colin Mowl, dated 28 February 2008:
	The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking what the price would be in shops in 2008 of a) a bottle of wine, b) a bottle of whisky and c) a pint of lager if real prices had been maintained since 1960. I am replying in her absence. (189054)
	The average shop price for bottled beer, measured by pint, in 1960 was 9.3 pence. If its price had increased in line with the total Retail Prices Index (RPI) it would have cost 156.8 pence in January 2008.
	Information is not available for the change in the price of a bottle of wine, a bottle of whisky or a bottle of lager since 1960. A retail price index covering all alcoholic beverages is available from 1962. Between January 1962 and January 2008 the price of alcoholic beverages rose by 1510 per cent, compared with an increase of 1489 per cent in the total RPI over the same period.

Bingo

Clive Betts: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the effect on  (a) employment and  (b) Exchequer revenues of (i) recent and (ii) planned closures of bingo clubs.

Angela Eagle: The state of the bingo industry is incorporated into the forecast of total gambling receipts, which includes bingo duty receipts, and will be published in the Financial Statement and Budget Report.

Capital Gains Tax

Mark Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the introduction of a single rate of capital gains tax on  (a) mutual funds and  (b) insurance bonds before 9 October 2007.

Jane Kennedy: The Government take a range of factors into consideration when formulating tax policy, and keeps all aspects of policy under review.

Customs Officers: Northern Ireland

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many HM Revenue and Customs personnel were on duty at  (a) Belfast International,  (b) Belfast City and  (c) Londonderry airport on a routine basis during 2007.

Jane Kennedy: HMRC does not release the numbers of front line Customs staff that it deploys at a local level as this would provide information of value to those seeking to circumvent HM Revenue and Customs' controls, thereby prejudicing the prevention and detection of crime.

Departmental Data Protection

James Brokenshire: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether the review of data handling procedures by Kieran Poynter of PricewaterhouseCoopers will include an examination of potential data breaches connected with third parties hacking into computer systems of HM Revenue and Customs and other Government Departments and agencies.

Jane Kennedy: Kieran Poynter was asked by the Chancellor to conduct an independent review of HMRC's data handling, the full terms of reference of which have already been made available on the HM Treasury website at:
	http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/newsroom_and_speeches/press/2007/press_133_07.cfm
	and a copy has been placed in the Library of the House.
	An interim report was published on 17 December 2007 and the final report is expected during the first half of 2008.

Departmental Homeworking

David Simpson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people in his Department have been authorised to work from home in the last 12 months.

Angela Eagle: Home working is approved locally by individual managers and records are not kept centrally.

Departmental Marketing

Mark Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 4 February 2008,  Official Report, column 828W, on departmental marketing, what the cost to his Department of Government and departmental branded products was in each of the last five years.

Angela Eagle: The information requested is not readily available and could be supplied only at disproportionate cost.

Entrust

Martin Horwood: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the total value of the assets of ENTRUST is; and to whom these assets would revert in the event of ENTRUST ceasing to trade.

Angela Eagle: From ENTRUST's annual accounts for the year ending 31 March 2007, the total value of assets, after liabilities, was 2,351,429. In the event of ENTRUST ceasing to trade any remaining assets after creditors were paid would pass to a successor regulatory or charitable body.

Fairtrade Initiative

Michael Weir: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will take steps to promote Fair Trade Fortnight 2008 amongst staff within his Department; and if he will make a statement.

Angela Eagle: Catering products provided via the Treasury restaurant facilities in 1 Horse Guards Road and 100 Parliament Street are supplied by the catering sub-contractor employed by the PFI provider. The catering contractor currently provides Fairtrade products such as teas, coffees, snacks and confectionery through the catering facilities throughout the building; Fairtrade teas and coffees are served at all official meetings.
	For Fairtrade Fortnight, the catering contractor has placed posters within the restaurant facilities, highlighting the Fairtrade products available.

Fuels: Prices

Mark Harper: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the effects of  (a) rising fuel costs and  (b) fuel duty on the holiday industry in the UK; and if he will make a statement.

Angela Eagle: Decisions on fuel duty are taken as part of the Budget process, alongside other taxation issues. When taking these decisions, the Chancellor considers a range of factors. This includes the environmental, social and economic impact of any changes, including the impact on UK industries, such as the holiday industry.

Industry: Motor Vehicles

Fraser Kemp: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent assessment he has made of the contribution to the economy made by the motor manufacturing industry.

Angela Eagle: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Colin Mowl, dated 28 February 2008:
	The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking what recent assessment he has made of the contributions to the economy made by the motor manufacturing industry. I am replying in her absence. (189985)
	The motor manufacturing industry contributed 0.4 per cent of the UK's total gross value added in 2003, based on the latest estimates from ONS's national accounts. In addition, the table below shows the latest estimates of growth in the volume of economic activity of the motor manufacturing industry since 1980, based on ONS's monthly Index of Production (IoP).
	
		
			  Annual growth in the volume( 1)  of output of the UK motor manufacturing industry( 2) 
			  Period:  Percentage change on the previous year 
			 1980 -12.7 
			 1981 -19.8 
			 1982 -3.7 
			 1983 5.0 
			 1984 -4.3 
			 1985 5.5 
			 1986 -5.4 
			 1987 8.8 
			 1988 15.3 
			 1989 5.4 
			 1990 -7.9 
			 1991 -10.9 
			 1992 2.0 
			 1993 0.3 
			 1994 7.6 
			 1995 5.1 
			 1996 7.1 
			 1997 -0.3 
			 1998 4.9 
			 1999 0.8 
			 2000 -6.3 
			 2001 -9.2 
			 2002 8.2 
			 2003 3.4 
			 2004 1.1 
			 2005 -1.5 
			 2006 -5.4 
			 2007 7.2 
			 (1) Chained volume measure of output. (2) Based on class 34.1 of the UK's Standard Industrial Classification: Manufacture of motor vehicles  Source: ONS Index of Production

Pensioners: Stockton on Tees

Dari Taylor: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  how many pensioners there were in Stockton South constituency in the most recent period for which figures are available;
	(2)  how many pensioners in Stockton South constituency were aged over 75 years in the most recent period for which figures are available.

Angela Eagle: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Colin Mowl, dated 28 February 2008:
	The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your questions concerning the total number of pensioners and the number of pensioners who are aged over 75 in Stockton South constituency in the most recent period for which figures are available. I am replying in her absence. (189329, 189332).
	The latest population estimates for Parliamentary Constituencies are for mid-2005. The number of pensioners has been calculated as the total of all persons of pensionable agemales aged 65 and over and females aged 60 and over. This estimate is 16,500. The estimate for pensioners aged over 75 is 5,600. These estimates are rounded to the nearest 100.

Private Finance Initiative: Insurance

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much funding for  (a) private finance initiatives and  (b) public private partnerships has been underwritten by (i) monoline insurers and (ii) monoline insurers that have recently been downgraded.

Angela Eagle: The Treasury does not hold a record of the amount of funding for private finance initiatives and public private partnerships that is underwritten by monoline insurers. The ability of private finance initiatives or public private partnerships to fulfil their contractual obligations to the public sector is unaffected by any downgrading of monoline insurers.

Private Finance Initiative: Insurance

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the consequences of a monoline insurance failure or downgrading for the ability of  (a) private finance initiatives and  (b) public private partnerships to fulfil their contractual obligations to the Government.

Angela Eagle: The ability of private finance initiatives or public private partnerships to fulfil their contractual obligations to the public sector is unaffected by any downgrading of monoline insurers.

Revenue and Customs: Correspondence

Philip Hammond: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his latest estimate is of the number of letters received by HM Revenue and Customs whose processing has not yet been concluded.

Jane Kennedy: In the last 12 months around 26 million items of correspondence have been received by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC). HMRC estimates that there were approximately 800,000 items of post (letters and forms) due to be processed as at end of January 2008. This represents around 3 per cent. of all correspondence received.

Revenue and Customs: Data Protection

Mark Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 31 January 2008,  Official Report, columns 675-6W, on Revenue and Customs: data protection, how many data guardians have been appointed; and how many of these were appointed from  (a) within existing HM Revenue and Customs staff,  (b) within existing HM Treasury staff and  (c) elsewhere.

Jane Kennedy: A data guardian role has also been created in each HMRC business unit to monitor data handling and transfer arrangements in all of HMRC's business areas. Guidance was provided on the competencies, experience and knowledge that the role would require. 37 data guardians have been appointed.

Revenue and Customs: Data Protection

Mark Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 31 January 2008,  Official Report, columns 675-6W, on Revenue and Customs: data protection, what training has been given to the new data guardians; and what estimate he has made of the cost of such training.

Jane Kennedy: Support for the HMRC data guardians has included awareness events, written material and access to additional support and guidance of departmental security specialists. The Department continues to assess any on-going training requirements which are funded from within the Department's budget.

Revenue and Customs: Data Protection

Mark Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 31 January 2008,  Official Report, column 675W, on Revenue and Customs: data protection, which officials in HM Revenue and Customs were designated as responsible for data protection before 23 November 2007.

Jane Kennedy: As principal accounting officer, the HMRC chairman was responsible for the Department's data protection arrangements.

Smuggling: Tobacco

Mark Harper: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people had tobacco goods confiscated on entry to the UK in the last year for which figures are available; and how much tobacco was seized.

Jane Kennedy: This information is not held centrally.
	For the 2006-07 financial year 228 tonnes of tobacco were seized. This, and other seizure information can be found in HMRC's annual report.

Stamp Duties

Mark Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what revenue accrued to his Department from the payment of stamp duty in  (a) England,  (b) South East England and  (c) London.

Angela Eagle: Stamp duty land tax receipts for each region of the UK can be obtained from:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/stamp_duty/table15-4-056.xls
	for 2005-06 and from
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/stamp_duty/table15-4-0607.xls
	for 2006-07.
	Regional breakdowns of stamp duty receipts from residential property transactions for earlier years are available at:
	http:/www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/stamp_duty/table15-2.xls

Tax Credit Office: Administration

Mark Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 31 January 2008,  Official Report, column 677W, on Tax Credit Office: administration, how many complaints were handled by the tax credit office in 2006-07.

Jane Kennedy: For the information requested I refer the hon. Member to the information published in Annex F of the HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) departmental report presented to Parliament in May 2007 (cm7107) and available on the HMRC website at:
	www.hmrc.gov.uk

Taxation: Alcoholic Drinks

Dai Davies: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent representations he has received from  (a) the British Beer and Pub Association,  (b) the Gin and Vodka Association,  (c) the Scotch Whisky Association,  (d) the Wine and Spirit Trade Association and  (e) the National Association of Cider Makers on proposals to vary tax rates on alcoholic drinks.

Angela Eagle: Treasury Ministers and officials receive representations from a wide range of organisations and individuals in the public and private sectors as part of the process of policy development and delivery. As was the case with previous Administrations, it is not the Government's practice to provide details of all such representations.

Taxation: Gaming

Clive Betts: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the average effective tax rate is for online bingo games.

Angela Eagle: The way in which information is collected by HMRC does not allow it to identify separately duty paid in respect of online bingo. It is therefore not possible to give a reliable estimate of the average effective tax rate on online bingo.

Taxation: Gaming

Clive Betts: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent discussions  (a) he and  (b) other Treasury Ministers have had with representatives of the gaming industry on the effective tax rates for  (a) bingo and  (b) other gaming products.

Angela Eagle: Treasury Ministers and officials met with a wide range of organisations and individuals in the public and private sectors as part of the process of policy development and delivery. As was the case with previous Administrations, it is not the Government's practice to provide details of all such representations.

Taxation: Private Companies

Jon Trickett: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what European Court of Justice rulings have resulted in the Government paying tax back to private companies in the last 10 years.

Jane Kennedy: There have been a considerable number of cases involving tax issues pursued before the European Court of Justice (ECJ) since 1998 and a complete list of the direct tax cases and indirect tax (VAT) cases may be found on the courts website at:
	http://ec.europa.eu/taxation_customs/common/infringements/case_law/index_en.htm
	However HMRC does not keep records of the precise impact any ECJ judgments may have on either litigation pursued solely in the UK courts or on specific decisions that may have been taken in their dealings with individual taxpayers as a result of any such decision. It follows that there are no records held that would indicate what impact, if any, such decisions may have had in terms of paying tax back to private companies. The information requested could not be obtained except at disproportionate cost.

Taxation: Self-assessment

Andrew Smith: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the reasons were for the online tax filing self-assessment service being out of action on 31 January.

Jane Kennedy: A total of over 204,000 customers were able to file online on 31 January, a record number. The problems arose because of a rapid and unexpected rise in access to the online service over a short period of time.

Taxation: Self-assessment

Andrew Smith: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer on how many occasions and for what length of time the online tax filing service has been out of operation in the last six months.

Jane Kennedy: Between the 1 August 2007 and the 31 January 2008 the SA online filing service was out of operation on 19 separate occasions for an overall total of 113 hours. Ten of these disruptions and 62 of the total hours were for planned and essential maintenance and upgrades by either HMRC or the Government Gateway. Other disruptions to the service were as a result of technical failures.

Taxation: Self-assessment

Andrew Smith: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps have been taken to rectify the problems with the online tax self-assessment system which occurred at the end of January.

Jane Kennedy: In April 2008 IT updates for the SA online system will remove the dependency on the infrastructure that failed as part of a planned improvement to the system. In addition, HMRC are reviewing their regime for performance testing of online services to improve the rigour around the testing of peak demands.

VAT: Charitable Donations

Mark Oaten: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make it his policy to make charity text donations VAT free.

Jane Kennedy: Donations to charity, including those made by text message, are outside the scope of VATwhich means that no VAT is payable on them.
	However, VAT is chargeable in the normal way on charges made by telecoms providers for text services. This reflects the requirements of the European VAT agreements signed by successive Governments.

Welfare Tax Credits

Mark Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  how many people have been incorrectly awarded tax credits, excluding cases of deliberate fraud, in each of the last 10 years;
	(2)  what the total value of incorrectly awarded tax credits was in each of the last 10 years.

Jane Kennedy: I refer the hon. Member to the error and fraud statistics published on the HM Revenue and Customs website at:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/personal-tax-credits/error-fraud.htm

Welfare Tax Credits: Labour Turnover

Philip Hammond: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the annual percentage rate of staff turnover was for staff working on tax credits in each year since 2003.

Jane Kennedy: The information is available only at disproportionate cost as HM Revenue and Customs employ staff in various parts of the Department to work on different aspects of tax credits work.